Hello! We are the M+R Union.
We’re digital strategists, designers, media buyers, developers, communicators, and more, and we’re proud to be part of a company that does exceptional and meaningful work for clients and causes that we believe in. We’re also exceptionally proud of our union as a living emblem of our progressive values.
In May 2025, our union unanimously endorsed a bold and comprehensive proposal to make M+R a better place for us all and presented it to M+R’s management. After six months of hard work and solidarity, in November 2025, 100% of our unit voted to ratify a new contract that reflects our position as a leader in the field, as well as continuing our tradition of exemplifying our shared values as a firm and as a union.
We’re proud, we’re energized, and we’re building a workplace that truly supports the people who make everything run. Onward — with solidarity, dignity, and a contract that reflects our worth.
WAGES THAT WORK FOR TODAY
We’re raising the floor AND the ceiling, establishing a level of financial security that enables us to do our best work.
✔️ Annual 5% raises and higher tier minimums
✔️ Increased our automatic 401k contributions to 4.5%
✔️ Secured automatic 4% longevity raises every other year after two years in the same position
✔️ Increased yearly Education and Growth Grants to $1250 per employee
✔️ Added a 3% contract ratification bonus
✔️ Protected our 100% employer-covered health care premiums with our UNION insurance carrier
RECLAIMING OUR TIME
These wins create more space for the rest we need, an essential step in fighting burnout — making M+R a better place to be, and a more attractive place to stay.
✔️ Reduced the 40-hour work week to 36 hours, with no core / mandatory hours on Fridays
✔️ Firmwide closure the week of July 4, and the addition of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday
✔️ Capped restricted vacation times at 5 weeks for every employee, with special approval period dates announced by 3/31 every year.
✔️ Eliminated vacation rollover caps, and eliminated state-specific vacation accrual carveouts that gave employees different experiences across state lines
✔️ Eliminated the expiration of flex time and comp time, with comp time paid out at the end of each year, making reclaiming your time less stressful
✔️ Alternate schedules allowed for all on Day 1 of employement
✔️ Increased parental leave to 20 weeks paid leave, with an additional 36 hours of leave for prenatal or fertility care, and 6 weeks of protected leave for a spontaneous or nonspontaneous abortion or stillbirth
✔️ Increase from 5 days to 10 days of bereavement leave per instance
SECURITY AND FAIRNESS AT WORK
These wins protect us from uncertainty, promote accessible pathways forward, and affirm that union members will not be replaced by contractors or AI tools.
✔️ PIPs have been eliminated, embracing progressive discipline as a productive alternative
✔️ Established more severance pay for layoffs, including base 6 weeks’ pay + more based on tenure, and 3 months of paid COBRA
✔️ Guaranteed that no union employees will be laid off in favor of contractors
✔️ Secured an agreement that generative AI is a tool and not a replacement for staff, and no union employees will be laid off in favor of generative AI
✔️ Completely reformulated promotion process, with promotions received and/or requested at any time and stretch tasks not required for promotion
✔️ Formalized staffing reassignment requests, with denials provided in writing
✔️ Eliminated probationary periods and standardized a six-month “orientation period” for new staff
✔️ Secured M+R assistance with visas
SOLIDARITY
Our contract now expires on May Day 2028, aligning us with the broader union coalition. Our power grows when our timelines — and our voices — rise together.