April news
Upset about management’s layoff talk and wondering what to do?
If you do one thing, do this
Make our union visible. This is a very simple but time-tested way to let management know that layoff talk is not acceptable. Here's how:
Wear your CalAcademy Workers United button every day until we have a contract.
Wear your CalAcademy Workers United T-shirt every Tuesday until we have a contract.
Make your Academy profile picture the CAWU emblem until we have a contract. Get it here.
Vote for our new t-shirt slogan by Friday!
No T-shirt? Wear a black top and your CAWU button. We are currently out of shirts. No button? Bargaining Team members and CAT volunteers have buttons. If you don’t have one, ask around to get another.
Perspective on layoff talk
If the past is prologue, we can expect that Academy management will keep trying to hoard as much power as they can until they see that we are capable of coordinated collective action. These simple actions are very effective in demonstrating that…but only when we all join in!
Remember, one year ago, management declined the opportunity to work constructively with us and campaigned against our vision of more democracy and accountability. We kept on organizing though… and in the recognition election, 77% of us voted for a union.
This year, we are putting the idea of having a say over our wages and working conditions into practice by negotiating our first contract. For the contract to become binding, a majority of our colleagues must ratify it with a vote, and management must agree to it as well. Unlike last year, when labor law forced management to recognize our union vote, there is no law that forces management to agree to any contract. To successfully ratify our first contract, we need to keep our bargaining hand strong and ensure that management takes our union seriously. To do that—we all need to keep organizing and participating.
More actions you can take
Participate in all the visibility actions described in this email—plus discuss the importance of doing so with your colleagues
Sign up for CAWU membership if you haven’t yet!
Encourage your colleagues to sign up for membership, and discuss why it matters.
CAT can use your help!
We can always use more folks to help out on the Contract Action Team, whether you’re up for a small but important research project or an ongoing time commitment. Get in touch at c...@calacademyworkersunited.org if you’d like to help:
Welcome all of our colleagues to our union
Facilitate member-to-member communication
Facilitate member participation in the bargaining process
Research information to support bargaining
Bargaining updates
Curious how it works?
The Bargaining Team has met 8 times with management since November 2023. Meetings are typically held at the Academy on Tuesday afternoons and usually last for around 2-3 hours, with breaks for our team and management to meet privately (called caucusing) in order to discuss proposals and counter proposals for contract articles.
What’s been proposed
In the first formal contract bargaining session on December 19, the Bargaining Team proposed 7 articles. On March 5, they proposed Appendix A, clarifying all positions that should be union eligible. During these 8 sessions, Management has brought 2 contract items to the table: A list of rules it thinks the Bargaining Team should follow in negotiations and a clarification of rights they want to retain once we have a contract. Notably, management has also proposed five non-contractual items that they want to impose immediately. You might be familiar with these from previous CAWU newsletters:
The 3.5% pay increase effective in January 2024
Accepted by BT exactly as introduced by management, but note that management said on March 20, 2024 that this increase was a “key driver” of its forecasted FY 2025 budget deficit
COVID policy changes
Immediate changes rejected by BT in favor of negotiating related contract articles
A promotion policy
Immediate changes rejected by BT in favor of negotiating related contract articles
Job title changes
Rejected by BT
Adding language about benefits for domestic partners to handbook
Accepted by BT
The most recent contract bargaining session, March 19, was entirely taken up with two non-contractual management presentations: one on health insurance costs, and one that was the same “fiscal news” presentation given to all staff the following morning. So far there have been no tentative agreements on any of the contract articles brought to the table. But the next bargaining session is tomorrow, April 2… and we are hoping for progress on the articles proposed.
For more information on progress, view our contract article tracker.
Contractual Articles and items on the table since December:
No Discrimination
Time to Vote
Discipline and Discharge
Grievance and Arbitration
Union Representation
Union Security
Recognition
On the table since January
Management Rights (introduced by management)
Introduced in March
Appendix A (list of union-eligible positions)
Articles our Bargaining Team is readying for introduction
Seniority and Layoff
Selection and Hiring
Calendar
3 April, Wednesday, 12:00–1:00pm
CAT general meeting
L2-E large. Making connections, bargaining support, and more.
25 April, Thursday, 12:00–1:45pm
All-Unit Lunch Meeting
In the Classroom this month. (near the Naturalist Center) Our monthly opportunity for in-person bargaining and organizing updates and discussion. Lunch provided.
28 April, Sunday, 2:00–3:00pm
Zoom Gathering
Can’t meet in person? Attend your monthly union meeting in cyberspace! Get the latest news about bargaining and have your questions answered by members of your bargaining team. Share your thoughts. Join here:
Meeting ID: 852 3251 5547
One tap mobile +16699006833
Ongoing events
For more event information, meeting times, and locations, check (or subscribe to) the CalAcademy Workers United Google Calendar.
Membership
Sign up for union membership today! Signing up for membership is different from signing the authorization card during our organizing campaign in 2023.
Union membership will allow you to participate in any votes on our first contract.
The more staff that are signed up as union members, the stronger the Bargaining Team will be during negotiations. Just like you have heard us say over this past year: One Academy, One Union. We are stronger together.
Connections
Office hours
Hosted by your bargaining unit representative and CAT members—be on the lookout and keep an ear to the ground for dates and times. Ask your colleagues and check the calendar. If you don’t see anything, reach out and inquire!
Bargaining Team
Email bar...@calacademyworkersunited.org. Or strike up a conversation with a member of the team!
Contract Action Team
Members (like you!) volunteering to facilitate communication amongst their colleagues on contract bargaining. CAT plans and organizes events and actions throughout the negotiation process to build the power of our union. The Contract Action Team welcomes volunteers. Just show up at a meeting… ask around… or email c...@calacademyworkersunited.org.
