Bargaining updates: September 11th
CAWU presented counter proposals on Management Rights and No Discrimination.
Management did not have any counter proposals, saying that they will need some time to work on the economics for some proposals because, “labor costing is new to us.”
Discussion on Article 3: No Discrimination
The Bargaining Team is committed to maintaining rights for all employees by turning the non-discrimination language from the Employee Handbook (pg. 13) into a binding agreement in the contract. We made our initial No Discrimination proposal on December 19th, and have gone back and forth with management on the language (see the Article Tracker for dates).
The Bargaining Team proposed this language (taken nearly verbatim from our Employee Handbook) for Article 3, Section 1 of the contract:
The Union, the employees, and the Employer agree that conduct which constitutes unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, AIDS/HIV status, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, marital status, sex, gender identification or expression, political belief, family status, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, citizenship or immigration status, status as a victim of domestic violence, and any other category protected by federal, state, or local law will not be tolerated.
In addition, the Employer will not discriminate against or harass any Employee on the basis of their union activity or union support. Those violating this policy may be subject to disciplinary action. It is understood that the Employer is an equal-opportunity employer, consistent with all applicable laws.
It’s unclear why management doesn’t want us to enshrine these rights. Instead of being specific about characteristics that should not be discriminated against, management wants the Bargaining Team to agree to this instead:
“Neither the Employer nor the Union will discriminate against any person on any basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local laws.”
Management's proposed language is insufficient because local, state, and federal laws protecting people from discrimination can change. Recent dramatic reversals of precedent by the Supreme Court, and the documented hostility of the first Trump administration to the National Labor Relations Board, which enforces labor law, are reasons why agreeing to specific conduct in a contract is so important.
While in bargaining, Gina (management’s negotiator) repeatedly told the Bargaining Team that our thoughts on this section were only “strong feelings,” and dismissed our overall concerns about the changing landscape of protections, telling us “feelings are not facts.” This felt very demeaning and belittling, and out of alignment with the reality of rollbacks on previous protections.
Whether or not you believe California is a state where all relevant protections will remain in place, there shouldn’t be any problem with enshrining this language into our contract when it already exists in our handbook. It’s clear management plans to use this as a bargaining chip—but we don’t believe this should be up for debate. Tell the Bargaining Team and Contract Action Team what you think, and talk with your coworkers about it.
Expect more of this kind of game-playing from management as negotiations progress. You can put an end to it by building power together:
Sign up for membership
Talk to your colleagues about our union, our contract campaign, and why they should sign up for membership
Follow negotiations on our article tracker and updates page
Make our union visible by wearing your pin (real or virtual) every day and union t-shirt on Thursdays
Bargaining updates: September 4th
New Article Proposals Introduced on August 29
Educational Benefits - professional development and educational assistance stipend
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning - AI/machine learning will not replace bargaining unit work/jobs, and the Joint Labor Management Committee will convene at regular intervals to assess AI as it relates to our mission
Uniform Allowance - a stipend for those required to wear a uniform
Pipelines to Museum Careers - establishes a pilot entry-level jobs program for sectors of work that typically require applicants to have volunteer experience which will in turn promote equity
Gender Inclusive Workplace - enshrines access to pronoun pins, menstrual products, and access to gender neutral changing rooms/bathrooms
Decolonial Education - establishes in-service day for employees to learn about the colonial legacy of museums, scientific collections, and issues impacting our communities; implementing some of the Mosaic Collaborative recommendations
Parking - parking for staff in the garage
Health and Safety - placeholder proposal
The Bargaining Team will be attending a Health & Safety contract language workshop at the Berkeley Labor Center on September 12th. Due to the multi-faceted, dynamic nature of our institution, we understand that health and safety risks vary greatly from department to department. We want to hear from you: what do you want to see change in order to make the Academy a healthier and safer workplace?
Email your health and safety concerns to the bargaining team right now, bargain@calacademyworkersunited.org, or reach out to your bargaining representative in person.
Your bargaining team has finished introducing proposals! Now we await counter proposals from management.
No Strike No Lockout Article Introduced by Management
Management doesn’t want you to strike, stop, or slow down work during the term of the contract. Why do you think that is?
It’s because strikes, work stoppages, and slow downs are some of the most powerful tools we have as workers to enforce our contract and to counter the power imbalance inherent in the employer-employee relationship. During the struggle over the threat of mass layoffs this spring, many of you discussed whether or not a strike would be an effective tool to prevent layoffs. It was a tactical and strategic question that we could seriously consider together. With a no-strike clause in our contract, we could not strike without violating our contract: it would be illegal.
Management will say that we don’t need strikes or slow-downs–that any serious disagreements can be worked out through arbitration–but what that actually means is that if management decides to act unilaterally, they will be free to do so without serious immediate consequences. The matter would be taken to arbitration…and if a violation were eventually found by the arbitrator, the finding–and the remedy–would come weeks or months or years later.
Read this excellent article that discusses the history of no strike clauses, and why they are important – especially in first contract negotiations – here:
https://www.labornotes.org/2023/02/no-strike-clauses-tips-first-contract-bargainers-0
As you’ll read in the linked article, employers and their anti-union legal advisors like Jackson Lewis have come to expect to win no-strike clauses, and we can expect this to be a sticking point that we will have to overcome as negotiations progress.
It is imperative that we are able to organize and demonstrate our power as we continue to go back and forth with management about this and all of our outstanding proposals. Signing up for membership and wearing your CAWU shirts on Thursdays are simple and easy and important ways to do this.
Personnel Issues
The Bargaining Team continues to bargain over one outstanding involuntary layoff.
Discipline and Retaliation issues
If your wages, hours, or working conditions have been changed without your agreement; if you believe your rights are being infringed upon, or you’re experiencing retaliation, please reach out to our 1021 staff field representative Genevieve Vigil. Weingarten Rights ensure represented employees have the right to request assistance from union representatives during investigatory interviews or if you have reasonable belief that a meeting could result in discipline.
Contact: genevieve.vigil@seiu1021.org, (415) 361-1994.
Bargaining updates: August 29th
Read the Tentative Agreements
PDF’s of tentative agreements are linked in the article tracker. Printed copies are available in a three ring binder in the L3E breakroom.
New Articles Introduced
Our bargaining team introduced the Hours of Work article.
Our opening proposal defines rates for overtime pay, states that an employee’s work schedule will not be changed without a two-weeks’ notice, and that non-exempt employees are allowed meal and rest periods. The article also defines travel time for non-exempt employees as work time, if they are traveling for Academy business.
Our bargaining team introduced the Leaves of Absence article.
Our opening proposal states the Academy will continue to provide leaves to employees in accordance with the Employee Handbook and the law, and that all benefits will continue to be provided while on leave. We also proposed that employees may request full-time or part-time leaves for educational purposes.
Your Rights
Our bargaining team was told that a staff member was told to not wear their union shirt. If anyone comes up to you and tells you to remove your union shirt or pin, please let the Bargaining Team or CAT know ASAP. As a reminder, wearing your union shirt and pin is a protected activity, meaning management cannot retaliate against you or tell you to remove these. This warranted a conversation amongst the bargaining team about the uniform policy at large.
Upcoming Articles
Our bargaining team spent time reviewing the remaining articles we still need to introduce, including:
Health and Safety
AI Usage at the Academy
Educational Compensation and Professional Development
Uniform Policy
Education about the Colonialist History of the Academy
In caucus, the bargaining team spent time discussing DEAI topics, and reviewed the TMC recommendations from their final report. How would you like to see this approached in our contract?
Do you have questions or comments about the articles we’ve introduced so far? Ideas about DEIA topics? Do you have ideas or concerns related to workplace health and safety? Please share with us!
What else can you do?
Wear your CAWU button every day
Wear your CAWU shirt on Thursdays.
Sign up for membership here and talk with your colleagues about why it matters
Follow the CAWU article tracker and speak to your representative on the bargaining team or a CAT activist about your issues and concerns
Share our community letter writing campaign with your friends, family, and community connections
Bargaining updates: August 19th
Please attend your monthly all-unit union meeting this Tuesday, August 20, from 12:00pm to 1:45pm in the Moss Room. Formal updates and discussions end at 1:00 pm, but the room stays open for informal chats and discussions afterward. Pizza provided.
At the meeting we’ll review progress so far, and talk about what’s coming up in negotiations. Nato Green, 1021 staff member and CAWU’s lead negotiator, will join us to discuss our wages proposal and review the tentative agreements we have so far.
If time permits, we’ll also discuss our hours of work and vacancies proposals.
August 15th Bargaining Session Update
We introduced the wages proposal
Our opening proposal includes a starting wage of $25/hour, regular annual across the board increases for every position, extra pay based on years of service, and bilingual pay.
We introduced the vending machine proposal
Management asked us to write a proposal about who will be responsible for the maintenance and restocking of the vending machines.
We received no counter proposals from management.
Dues deductions discussed
Lisa Bui, Membership Director from SEIU 1021, and Rudy Morales and Cuc Ly from the Academy joined this session to discuss how membership dues and contributions to the Committee on Political Education (COPE) deductions will be administered once our contract goes into effect. Read more about COPE deductions below.
Here’s info about COPE From SEIU’s website:
The Committee on Political Education (COPE) is made up of SEIU members, staff, and retirees who contribute monthly to ensure that we have the political power to protect our hard-earned political and legislative victories that improve public services and the lives of working families.
We know that who we elect and what they do when they are in office determines much in our everyday lives: from our livelihoods to our health and safety. We know when we speak with one voice about what working people need, our elected officials listen.
Once we ratify our contract, membership dues will be 1.74% of your wages.
Bargaining Team Office Hours, Wednesday August 28 12:00-2:00pm
The bargaining team wants to hear from you!
Attend office hours in the L3E breakroom and share what is important to you for our first contract. What would a promotion policy look like to you? Do you like our current benefits? Do you have ideas or concerns related to workplace safety? Please share with us!
What else can you do?
Wear your CAWU button every day
Wear your CAWU shirt on Thursdays
Sign up for membership here and talk with your colleagues about why it matters
Follow the CAWU article tracker and speak to your representative on the bargaining team or a CAT activist about your issues and concerns
Share our community letter writing campaign with your friends, family, and community connections
Bargaining Updates: August 2024
Bargaining news from August 8
New Article Introduced
Our bargaining team presented a proposal on layoffs, which will be part of Article 7, Seniority and Layoffs.
Tentative Agreement reached on Article 17
Our bargaining team and management reached a tentative agreement on Article 17, Grievance and Arbitration. This article defines and describes processes for addressing problems that cannot be solved with regular, open communication. Additionally, this article guarantees members’ right to union representation during any step of the grievance procedure, and lays out the steps of the grievance procedure.
Discussion on Pay Grades and Promotion Policy
We asked management questions about the current pay grade structure and what, if any, promotion policy exists. We received no clear answers from management.
Personnel Issues
Management accepted our proposal regarding 2 on-call employees and were able to secure the preferred outcome for both staff members.
Bargaining Team Office Hours
The bargaining team wants to hear from you!
Attend office hours Wednesday August 14 12:00-2:00pm in the L3E breakroom and share what is important to you for our first contract. What would a promotion policy look like to you? Do you like our current benefits? Do you have ideas or concerns related to workplace safety? Please share with us!
What else can you do?
Wear your CAWU button every day
Wear your CAWU shirt on Thursdays
Sign up for membership here and talk with your colleagues about why it matters
Follow the CAWU article tracker and speak to your representative on the bargaining team or a CAT activist about your issues and concerns
Share our community letter writing campaign with your friends, family, and community connections
Bargaining news from August 1
New Articles Introduced
Our bargaining team presented the following new proposals on:
Benefits (Article 9)
Seniority (Article 7)
Holidays (Article 11)
Remote work (article number TBD)
Negotiation on Discipline and Discharge
Back and forth counter proposals were made on Discipline and Discharge (Article 16). This article will describe what just cause for termination is, and also describe steps of progressive discipline.
Remember to visit our bargaining proposal tracker here for information on proposals and the pace of negotiations.
Bargaining Team Office Hours
The bargaining team wants to hear from you!
Attend office hours Wednesday August 14 12:00-2:00pm in the L3E breakroom and share what is important to you for our first contract. What would a promotion policy look like to you? Do you like our current benefits? Do you have ideas or concerns related to workplace safety? Please share with us!
Management Rejects Article 6
Academy management rejected our proposal on Selection and Hiring (Article 6). Our proposal includes the following:
Information included in job postings and the minimum amount of time a job posting has to be open
How vacancies are filled
How long a probationary period lasts
A definition of temporary employment
Limits on subcontracting out work typically completed by bargaining unit employees
At this time, management is insisting on unilateral control in all of these areas. Our bargaining team is working on a counter to management and hope to have this ready to present to management on Thursday, August 8th.
What else can you do?
Wear your CAWU button every day
Wear your CAWU shirt on Thursdays
Sign up for membership here and talk with your colleagues about why it matters
Follow the CAWU article tracker and speak to your representative on the bargaining team or a CAT activist about your issues and concerns
Share our community letter writing campaign with your friends, family, and community connections
Bargaining Updates: July 2024
Bargaining news from July 25
Joint Labor Management Committee
Our Bargaining team has reached a tentative agreement with management on this article! Read more about it in our Article Tracker.
Our bargaining team introduced four new articles:
Vacation, Sick Leave, Retirement, Governance and Financial Transparency and also introduced counter proposals on Article 1, Recognition and Article 2, Union Security.
Want to know more about these articles? Discuss them, and anything else relating to contract bargaining with members our bargaining team at drop-in office hours on Wednesday, July 31 from 12-2PM at the B1 Africa break room/conference room area.
Layoffs
Discussion continued over 3 involuntary layoffs, 1 person has decided to take VSP.
Bargaining news from July 18
Who was there
Our bargaining team: Marie Angel, Jasmine Bost, Gabby Farrer, Nat Kramm, Victoria Langlands,TR Malcom.
SEIU 1021 staff: Phil Ybarrolaza, Claude Joseph, and joining for the first time at a negotiating session, SEIU 1021 staff members Nato Green (as lead negotiator) and our new field representative Genevieve Vigil.
Contact Genevieve if your wages, hours, or working conditions have been changed without your agreement, or you are in need of representation for a disciplinary action.
genevieve.vigil@seiu1021.org, 415-361-1994.
Present from Academy management were:
Gina Roccanova (lawyer from Jackson Lewis), Michael Costanzo, Elayne Graylow, Ayat Elnoory, Melissa Felder, Elise Lindstrom.
Appendix A
We have reached a tentative agreement on what positions are represented by our union. The TA includes union representation for 5 positions in accounting, which management opposed prior to our representation election.
Article 4 - Union Representation
This article deals with the role of shop stewards, union access to the building, and leave for union business. Management brought a counter proposal to the table and walked our team through each change; our team asked clarifying questions.
In caucus, we formulated a counter to Article 4, and we provided it to management before the end of the session.
Layoffs
We discussed the involuntary layoff list once again and gained more clarity on paths forward.
We will continue to be in communication with the 4 individuals affected by layoff notices and remain committed to negotiating the best outcome for them.
Vending machine update
Management says it will be replaced in approximately 3 weeks. In the meantime, please keep using the honor system!
Bargaining news from July 11
Layoffs
We discussed potential pathways to resolution and it was a productive negotiation. We will be in contact with the four folks facing involuntary layoff regarding next steps. No final decisions have been made and we remain committed to the best outcome for each individual.
We discussed the effects of the planetarium changes and expressed concerns about health and safety, and negative impact on guest/member/donor experience.
Contract
Appendix A - Recognition. This is the list of all positions that are union eligible. Still in negotiation; hope to have a tentative agreement (TA) soon.
We introduced language about a Joint Labor Management Committee; this committee will be composed of representatives from management and the bargaining unit to informally resolve issues, and you can learn more about them in our article tracker.
Management told our bargaining team that they were unaware that they had not given us their Finance Committee approved budget for FY 24-25 (the Finance Committee is a sub-committee of the Board of Trustees). We asked management for the budget on May 23 and again on June 13th. At negotiations on July 11, they promised to provide this information expeditiously.
Other issues
Multiple personnel issues were discussed and resolved.
We discussed the broken vending machine in the L3E break room. Management said they would look into the issue to see if it needs to be repaired or replaced, with us emphasizing that we need to get the machine working as soon as possible, because some staff rely on the vending machines as an important source of affordable nutrition on site. Management asked the bargaining team for a proposal to include in our contract regarding its funds and management. In the interim, staff are stocking drinks in the fridge and payment is on the honor system. We would like for staff to continue to staff this project and are discussing options for the future. What would this look like in an ideal situation to you?
A successful unity break
We really enjoyed seeing the unity break on the 11th and you lifted our spirits. It was such a success and we’re so proud of all of you and what an amazing turnout it was! Please check in with us if you have any concerns.
And remember:
Wear your CAWU button every day
Wear your CAWU shirt on Thursdays
Sign up for membership here and talk with your colleagues about why it matters
Share our community letter writing campaign with your friends, family, and community connections
Follow the CAWU article tracker and speak to your representative on the bargaining team or a CAT activist about your issues and concerns.
July updates
TL;DR
Share our email campaign to management with your communities!
Four colleagues called managements’ bluff to lay them off: they are still employed.
Solidarity break this Thursday, July 11th, 3pm at the Swamp; wear your shirt every Thursday
Important surveys to fill out
📰 Contract & Campaign Updates
Honoring Departed Staff ✨
Last month we lost ~40 staff members who took the VSP, and we know many said it didn’t feel “voluntary.” We recognize this is a huge loss for our institution and we are missing our cherished colleagues. Thank you to everyone who joined in honoring our co-workers by writing & posting stars in our collective art piece.
Moving Forward ➡️
We have yet to see management acknowledge the departure of our colleagues and present a strategic plan for how to move forward. We are hearing that remaining staff members are impacted with increased workloads, despite SLT’s insistence that eliminating programs would have minimal impact on workloads. We are working to understand the full extent of these changes. Has your workload and/or conditions changed due to staffing losses? Please let us know in this survey.
We’re also working on gathering and analyzing data on the VSP. If you took the VSP, or applied for the VSP and did not take it, please fill out this form. The information will help us understand the process, document potential labor violations, and aid in contract negotiations.
Successes 🙌
Despite this tumultuous time, we have some success to celebrate as well! We had great turnout for our Solidarity Break on June 25th and we even had some folks joining from the field! We are visually seeing our collective power grow. Will you join us this week for another demonstration of our strength and put pressure on management to bargain in good faith?
We’re aware youth activists also joined the solidarity break by distributing flyers they made on their own initiative, in support of our organizing efforts. While the flyers were not consistent with CAWU’s organizing strategy and our communication ethos, we stand in solidarity with the rights of youth activists to participate and speak in a manner authentic to them.
Another bright spot in the midst of all this: four of our CAWU members refused to take the VSP and called management on their bluff to lay them off on June 28th. Despite being threatened with illegal layoffs, they remain on payroll with their benefits while their positions are bargained over.
Lastly, we have new t-shirts!! Don’t they look great? Alanna in Creative Studio designed the new shirt, so give them some major props for this fresh design!
Public Campaign 📢
We’ve started an email campaign and published an OpEd in the San Francisco Standard. Our demands are clear: Poor financial stewardship of the Academy must not be compounded by cutting mission-critical programming. Academy executives must share the details of their budget, and then commit to negotiating solutions with our union in good faith.
If you attended the last union lunch, you heard research conducted by SEIU 1021 staff on Cal Academy’s finances that suggests that the Academy’s structural deficit is a result of rising debt service costs and questionable financial investments. We believe that transparency and accountability are vital for our workers and our institution. Help us put public pressure on SLT and the Board by sending and sharing our public campaign!
Bargaining Updates
There have not been any bargaining sessions since June 10th. Bargaining will resume on July 11.
🤝 Movement events & news
We’ve been following the worker experience of the Science Museum of Minnesota who won their union in January 2023 and faced layoffs in March. Sound familiar? Alison Rempel Brown, former Chief of Staff at the Academy, is now the President and CEO of SMM. You can support a fair contract for our SMM colleagues by signing this petition.
The story above highlights how the issues we face are common in our field and why connecting with other unionized museum workers can help us. Interested in learning more? You can connect with colleagues at the Asian Art Museum, Exploratorium, deYoung and other museums at the next SEIU 1021 Museum Workers Committee Meeting on Tuesday, July 9 from 6-7pm at 350 Rhode Island Street or virtually (the zoom link will be added to the calendar when available).
🐝 Actions to take right now
Join our email campaign and send it to your community!
Sign up for union membership if you haven’t yet! Encourage your colleagues to sign up and discuss why it matters.
Fill out our two active surveys or nudge someone to do so
Make our union visible!
Wear your CAWU shirt every THURSDAY (switching from Tuesday) until we have a contract.
Wear your CAWU button every day until we have a contract.
Make your Academy profile picture our union emblem until we have a contract. Get it here.
🐱 CAT can use your help!
Contract Action Team is an informal group of CAWU members (like you!) volunteering to keep staff connected with one another. Are you looking to get more involved? Have a specific skill set to offer? Email us or join us at the next meeting to learn more.
📅 Upcoming Events
July 9 (Tuesday) 8:00 - 9:30 AM
The new t-shirt has dropped! Stop by our tabling station on the way into the office to pick one up.
July 11 (Thursday) 3:00 PM Solidarity Break
At the Swamp
Wear your *new* t-shirt and show support for the Bargaining Team as they negotiate with management. Questions about Solidarity Breaks? Read our FAQ!
July 17 (Wednesday) 12:00 - 2:00 PM Bargaining Team Office Hours
L3 Breakroom/Balcony
What’s going on with contract negotiations? Something important to you that you’d like to see in our first contract? Bring any and all questions/ideas to office hours with a member from the Bargaining Team. Check our contract tracker to see what’s on the table.
July 23 (Tuesday) 12:00 - 1:45 PM All Unit Lunch
Moss Room
Grab pizza and our new t-shirts! Hear the latest updates about bargaining and contract advocacy actions and connect with your other union members.
July 31 (Wednesday) 12:00 - 2:00 PM Bargaining Team Office Hours
B1 Africa Breakroom
What’s going on with contract negotiations? Something important to you that you’d like to see in our first contract? Bring any and all questions/ideas to office hours. Check our contract tracker to see what’s on the table.
For more up to date event information, meeting times, and locations, check/subscribe to the Cal Academy Workers United Google Calendar.
Get in touch with our SEIU field rep
Hours, or working conditions changed without your agreement, or in need of representation for a disciplinary action? Our interim staff field representative is Claude Joseph Claude.Joseph@seiu1021.org.
📫 Send a clear message to management
Congratulations on turning out for our first Solidarity Break last Tuesday. You were awesome in your CAWU t-shirts and pins!
Only coordinated, collective actions like these will move Academy management to do the right thing: stop unilateral, illegal layoffs, stop withholding the details of their budget, and commit to negotiating in good faith at the bargaining table. We all have an interest in negotiating a strong contract to set a financially sustainable, equitable path forward for the Academy. But, as it stands now, management seems more focused on delaying, obfuscating, and eliminating beloved programs that serve educators and museum guests.
The next step is to mobilize your friends, family, and community – anyone you know who cares about the Academy and its mission – to support us by writing to Academy management. Let them know our demands and why they matter to you. Use this link to send an email imploring Academy management to reverse program cuts and layoffs, and work with our union to find equitable solutions to the Academy’s current budget challenges.
When you’re done, forward this action to at least five of your friends, family, and colleagues!
In solidarity,
Contract Action Team
Important layoff & bargaining news
Layoff talks
In bargaining on Monday June 10th, management provided our bargaining team with a list of job descriptions for in-unit positions that have been proposed for elimination.
Management agreed to inform the 5 people (in 4 job descriptions) targeted for elimination that their positions are in jeopardy, and that management would be bargaining over the effects of eliminating those positions with our union, CAWU, before any layoffs take effect.
Our bargaining team’s position is that involuntary layoffs should not happen until our contract has been settled.
Budget information
Academy management appeared at the annual City and County of San Francisco appropriations committee budget hearings on Thursday morning, June 13th.
You will note in this year’s hearing that the city contribution to the Academy’s budget has not decreased by the 10% that management has said it would. We know that in the mayor’s February budget, there was in fact a 10% reduction proposed. That reduction had disappeared in the revised budget, (page 85) officially released on June 1.
Management might say that they didn’t know for sure that the revised budget would include a modest increase over last year’s city contribution until June 1, but we also know that on May 1, when we met with our sibling SEIU 1021 union chapters in the park to celebrate International Labor Day, that management at the Asian and the de Young had let their staff know that there would be no decline in city contributions to their institutions.
Currently the proposed fiscal year budget for 2024-2025 from the city is $7.7 million. The proposed budget for 2025-2026 is $8.6 million. Last year’s budget (FY 2023-2024) was $7.5 million.
You can watch the hearing for this year here (scroll to minute 23). Last year’s hearing is here (scroll to 1:26).
Ahead of the hearing on Thursday, we sent this letter to our San Francisco supervisors.
All unit meeting
Attend the all-unit meeting this Thursday at noon in the Classroom. We’ll have a very important presentation on the Academy’s finances, and talk about what we need to do to win a contract that helps to protect the future of the Academy and the people who make it what it is.
BT composition changes
Clea Matson is leaving the bargaining team. Gabby Farrer will take Clea’s place representing Education. Taking Gabby’s place representing GE will be Toby Felix and Jasmine Bost.
As always
Our petition is still relevant. Sign the petition: No involuntary layoffs!
Make our union visible. Wear your CalAcademy Workers United button at work 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 our union emblem until we have a contract. Get it here.
Sign up for union membership if you haven’t yet! Encourage your colleagues to sign up… and discuss why it matters.
We’ll see you on Thursday in the Classroom!
June Newsletter – 🚫 No Layoffs 🚫
TL;DR
Involuntary layoffs without bargaining are illegal and irresponsible. They will be opposed with every tool at our disposal by staff and the community.
Learn more about administrative bloat and inflated executive pay at the Academy.
Actions to take now!
We will bargain over layoffs.
Freshly hired senior leaders may not realize we won our union in a landslide victory after a hard-fought organizing drive and despite management’s efforts to undermine staff’s desire to build a more democratic workplace. We are now recognized by the National Labor Relations Board and leadership is legally obligated to negotiate in good faith over layoffs with our bargaining team.
However, many of us watched in disbelief at May 30th’s town hall (password: 1923-steinh@rt) as management framed position eliminations and program “pauses” as inevitable and non-negotiable. We consider this both an intimidation tactic and unfair labor practice. It’s also an insult to the staff members that have worked tirelessly to further the Academy’s mission and are now facing the prospect of losing their livelihoods.
In the last few weeks, while many of us try to pick up the pieces of our departments in the wake of the Voluntary Severance Program, management decided to flout the law and undermine the bargaining process by informing at least one of our colleagues that their positions are being eliminated. It’s irresponsible and illegal to inform people that their layoff is a forgone conclusion until the bargaining process has played out, let alone have employees “report to SEIU” for answers to questions about when they will lose their job and where they should turn in their Academy property. Read our full response to management on the topic of illegal, unilateral layoffs.
According to management, the Academy needs to close a budget gap (surprise!) and the only ways to do that are to pressure staff to quit “voluntarily” and to eliminate positions that many of us have dedicated our careers to foster. We do not accept the premise that the Academy’s budget should be balanced on the backs of workers. Our city leaders, our community, and most importantly, the people that actually run the institution, will not allow management to treat our friends and colleagues as disposable.
Of course, we are willing to negotiate in good faith to set the Academy on a sustainable path and have several proposals to do so. This is not an “us vs. them” situation—we all have an interest in making the Academy a more equitable, financially-sound institution. Read more about our thinking below, which has developed over the last year via research, extensive discussions, member surveys, and one-on-one meetings. If you have additional ideas, thoughts, or want to get involved, show up to union events and reach out. Let’s organize and build power together!
HR hiring numbers
Despite the proposed cuts to our Education, IBSS, and Planetarium departments among others, Academy management has found room in our budget to significantly increase the size of our human resources department, aka PACT, to fifteen full-time staff members. Entirely new, highly compensated roles have been created that did not exist prior to this year. For example, Jim Gohary presented in May’s town hall that a new “labor liaison” will cost the Academy an additional $200,000 annually. This role was presumably created to assist management’s lead contract negotiator, a paid legal consultant from the notorious union-busting law firm Jackson Lewis. In total, PACT accounts for nearly $2 million in labor costs, not including consulting fees.
If you’re interested in looking at the numbers yourself, we tracked salary ranges from PACT job postings and put them in a spreadsheet. You may be familiar with a visualization of this data which we presented in a pie chart in the May newsletter.
Executive pay
Over the past 17 years, executives, directors, and other highly paid employees have taken an increasing share of the Academy’s labor budget. Total funds allocated toward bonuses, housing stipends, and salaries for our top fifteen earners came to $5,024,643 last year. When issues of pay equity are raised by staff, vague justifications about the necessity of maintaining “lifestyles” and “competitive salaries” have been given. Management’s dismissive attitude is especially abhorrent when many of us are struggling to make rent while at the same time facing layoff threats. Executive pay must be a serious part of negotiations.
Our analysis of executive pay is based on a charting of compensation data from the Academy’s IRS filings. This is a straightforward apples-to-apples comparison over time of data derived from the Academy’s 990s, which all nonprofit organizations are required to file and publicize annually. (Source: ProPublica)
If the task at hand is to balance the budget, does the financial bloat described above seem sensible or sustainable, let alone equitable? Should an overstuffed HR department, expensive legal consultants, and lavish executive pay take priority over education and research? Like our Chief Financial Officer mentioned in the last town hall, “everything is on the table.” If we take management at their word and they’re serious about rebuilding trust, at a bare minimum they can start by negotiating with our elected bargaining representatives in good faith.
Movement events & news
Attend the SF Museum Worker Committee meeting tomorrow night! Strategize together and build solidarity among SEIU 1021 San Francisco museum chapters at the union hall on the evening of June 11th or via Zoom. Details and RSVP here. CalAcademy Workers United is on the agenda
This past March, OMCA Workers United won their union via voluntary recognition. Congratulations to our colleagues across the Bay at the Oakland Museum of California!
A study from Stanford about misperceptions of what those in the labor movement call “the union difference”.
Actions to take right now
The petition is still live and relevant. Sign the petition: No involuntary layoffs!
Make our union visible. Wear your CalAcademy Workers United button at work 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 our union emblem until we have a contract.
Sign up for union membership if you haven’t yet! Encourage your colleagues to sign up and discuss why it matters.
Stay tuned for more actions you can take on our website or Instagram.
CAT can use your help
The Contract Action Team is a group of union members (like you!) volunteering to keep staff connected throughout contract bargaining to build the power of our union. We have a fairly loose and fluid organization; everyone on CAT is a volunteer activist. There is a lot of work to be done, and we need your expertise! Whether you’re up for a small but important research project or an ongoing time commitment, get in touch if you’d like to help:
Welcome new hires to our union
Interface with the bargaining team
Tabling and flyering
Organize events and actions
Calendar
11 June, Tuesday 6:00pm-7:30pm
SF Museum Worker Committee Meeting
Strategize together and build solidarity among SEIU 1021 San Francisco museum chapters! Details and RSVP here.
12 June, Wednesday 12:00–1:00pm
Contract Action Team general meeting
L2-E large. Making connections, bargaining support, and more.
18 June, Tuesday 12:00–2:00pm
Bargaining Team office hours
L3 Breakroom or Balcony. Drop-in and connect with a bargaining team member and learn more about the ongoing contract negotiations! Share what's important to you and your department.
20 June, 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.
23 June, 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: https://seiu1021.zoom.us/j/6818350315?pwd=ODN5WjlmRUV5dCt4aGdsL0M1TUxvUT09
Meeting ID: 681 835 0315
Passcode: 1021
Ongoing events
For more event information, meeting times, and locations, check (or subscribe to) the CalAcademy Workers United Google Calendar.
Get in touch with our SEIU field rep
Hours or working conditions changed without your agreement? In need of representation for a disciplinary action? Our interim staff field representative is Claude Joseph, claude.joseph@seiu1021.org.
Board Meeting 5/22: Staff Testimonials
Staff members shared testimonials on behalf of themselves and their colleagues at today’s board meeting. Read two of them below.
If you haven’t already, please sign the petition to the board demanding no layoffs.
I am a success story of the Planetarium’s impact on visitors to the Academy. I first visited in the summer of 2018, when I was struggling with realizing that, three years into a physics degree, I did not want to get into research. Watching the presenter speak so passionately inspired me to enter museum education, and, through a twist of fate, work here myself.
We presenters are a key part of the Academy’s mission. The connections we forge enable our guests to learn about science together, collaboratively. We provide opportunities many of our guests would never otherwise experience, whether it is being able to view the moons of Jupiter through a telescope or simply touch a meteorite. These experiences, which cannot be automated, and do not exist at many planetaria, develop curiosity and inspire the kind of awe which they will share with countless others.
The live presentations we deliver in Hohfeld Hall allow us to cater to a wide range of audiences. We are able to update the programming more frequently than in the full dome, because a new feature presentation requires two years to produce, allowing us to keep the Academy’s astronomy content fresh for our members. We are also able to cater to young learners and their families as it is open to all ages, unlike the Planetarium. Our show designed for preschoolers, shown in Hohfeld Hall, has, in the past week, attracted an audience of 200 on one day and 155 on another.
On a final note, I want to share a pair of comments from guests. This past Friday, a guest approached me after viewing our multiple-award-winning program Spark: The Universe in Us. She had seen it before without the live science update we perform in nearly all presentations of Spark, and expressed that the additional information added a lot to the experience. And, I think most importantly, this past Sunday, a guest remarked that my presence added a soul not found in other Planetariums he had visited.
By ending the work my colleagues and I do, the Academy loses that soul, and everything that comes with it.
— Teddy Vollman
Planetarium Presenter
Speaking on behalf of education programs: Our ask is that you delay voting on a budget that cuts Teacher Professional Development and Science Action Club. We want to share data and other considerations that may not have been shared with you.
For over 25 years, the Academy’s teacher programs have provided educators with transformative professional development that increases the quality and quantity of science taught in PreK-12 classrooms.
Over the past decade Teacher Professional Development programs have impacted more than 8,000 teachers and one million students, primarily in the Bay Area. Much of this work aims to increase access to high quality science learning for students and teachers in systematically excluded groups, such as Black and Latine students and English Language Learners.
Students from systematically excluded groups are also more likely to attend after-school and out-of-school-time programs. This is the community Science Action Club serves. Just this last quarter of FY24, Science Action Club trained 65 Educators, and engaged with over 2000 youth in 100 clubs in California and beyond.
Finally, the Bayview Science Institute or BSI has a mission focused on environmental, place-based learning and building trust and community through science. The Bayview Science Institute serves teachers at 14 schools in Bayview Hunters Point and the Southeast corner of San Francisco. San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has been funding BSI since the program began in 2017.
When we asked teachers about their main Bayview Science Institute takeaway, a third grade teacher at Bret Harte Elementary shared:
“Place-based learning is so important if we are serious about mentoring this next generation of environmental stewards in the Bayview. They need to know about the problematic history and be connected enough to the environment to want to do something about it.”
Some questions we have at this point that we hope you’ll also be curious about:
The Academy has core values that include advocacy, collaboration, and diversity & equity. What will it mean to the Bayview Hunters Point community when they hear we are abruptly abandoning teacher support?
Given that the BSI program is funded through SFPUC, would ending this program put our relationship with SFPUC at risk, as well as any other funding opportunities from them in the future?
Will these decisions impact our relationships and image with the many funders and communities who are interested in environmental justice work?
Since the Teacher Professional Development programs are earmarked in the Thriving California grant from the state, could eliminating these programs put the larger 2.1 million grant at risk?
These cuts would create both instability and drastically reduce our scope of work in education. How will this impact the ability of Development and Govt Affairs to generate funding under those conditions?
Our education programs are intrinsically tied to the mission of the Academy. We urge you to get some of the answers to the questions we’ve shared today, and delay the budget vote until you have all the information.
— Larissa Walder
Senior Associate, Teacher Professional Development
Teacher and Student Engagement
May news, sign the board petition
Sign the Board Petition—no involuntary layoffs
During our all-unit meeting on April 25 in the Classroom, two themes emerged from our group discussion. The first was, that as a collective, we oppose involuntary layoffs. The second is that those in attendance have little trust in management’s representation of the financial picture, and do not trust that management’s spending priorities are in the best interests of the Academy’s programs and the people carrying them out.
At the meeting, we discussed strategies to prioritize the people and programs that make the Academy a vital public institution.
Our first action is to petition the Academy’s Board of Trustees with a demand for no involuntary layoffs.
Sign here, then share widely with your co-workers and friends of the Academy.
Timing is of the essence to get signatures, as management will be bringing their next financial proposal to the upcoming board meeting on May 13th.
Bargaining updates
On April 24, we bargained with management—read more details here.
Finances presentation
Management delivered a presentation on Academy finances.
In response to questions from our team, management said that they did not want to consider changing inflated executive pay or what many of us consider wasteful administrative costs—such as all of the new PACT positions.
Management stated they have a plan to eliminate specific positions and/or programs at the Academy as part of a long-term business strategy or restructuring plan. When asked for details of this plan, they said they are not willing to share any details with our team.
Voluntary severance proposal
Before attempting (we have a union!) to execute its targeted restructuring plan, management proposes non-targeted layoffs via the same voluntary severance (aka “voluntary layoff”) package (see below) already offered to non-unit-represented employees.
Management also told us they don’t expect voluntary severances to result in any predictable amount of net savings… there could even be a net cost. In other words—they don’t expect the voluntary program to prevent involuntary layoffs.
Appendix A negotiations
Our Bargaining Team wants to make sure our colleagues in the accounting department are part of our union.
On April 30, our Bargaining Team caucused—read more details here.
Financial assessment
An SEIU 1021 staff researcher presented findings on the Academy’s financial picture (from 990s and audited financial statements), compared with similar institutions.
The takeaway: there are in fact real financial challenges for the Academy—and these should not have taken anyone by surprise. Challenges include market volatility impacting the Academy’s investment portfolio, and the fact that earned revenue has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The presentation also confirmed that executive pay has increased significantly over the last 6 years despite these continued financial challenges. Executive pay at the Academy is also inflated in comparison to similar Bay Area institutions. For example, Executive Directors at both Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Exploratorium each receive around $400K in total compensation, compared to Scott Sampson’s total compensation of nearly $900K in FY23.
Response to voluntary severance proposal
Because the voluntary severance package may be an attractive option for some staff who are looking to leave the Academy, the Bargaining Team will not oppose it being offered to staff in our Bargaining Unit.
We sent management a list of clarifying questions and are awaiting a response.
Contract article assignments
Bargaining Team assignments to most of our specific contract articles are now reflected on the article tracker. Want to voice an opinion about an article, or discuss a related issue? Please reach out to the folks listed!
Voluntary severance package information
Here is what management proposes to offer:
4 weeks of pay for every year of service, capped at 1 year of severance pay maximum
A lump sum of cash: $5K if less than 5 years service, $10K if 5+ years
Cash to cover the cost of COBRA Continuation of Health Coverage for 6 months
Those taking this package may also be eligible for unemployment
All parts of this package would be paid as one lump sum, preferable before the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2024)
The Bargaining Team has sent management clarifying questions about details of this proposed package and the voluntary severance process and are awaiting a response.
Other actions you can take
Sign the petition: No involuntary layoffs!
Make our Union visible. Wear your CalAcademy Workers United button at work 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.
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
Calendar
15 May (Wednesday) 12:00–1:00pm
CAT general meeting
L2-E large. Making connections, bargaining support, and more.
15 May (Wednesday) 12:00–1:00pm
Bargaining Team office hours
B1 Africa break room. Drop-in and connect with a bargaining team member and learn more about the ongoing contract negotiations! Share what's important to you and your department.
23 May (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.
26 May (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:
https://seiu1021.zoom.us/j/6818350315?pwd=ODN5WjlmRUV5dCt4aGdsL0M1TUxvUT09
Meeting ID: 681 835 0315
Passcode: 1021
Ongoing events
For more event information, meeting times, and locations, check (or subscribe to) the CalAcademy Workers United Google Calendar.
Connections
Office hours
Hosted by your bargaining unit representative and CAT members Wednesday 15 and Wednesday 29 May. Locations can change. 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!
Attend Bargaining Team office hours: find them on our calendar
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.
SEIU 1021 Field Representative Claude Joseph
Hours, or working conditions changed without your agreement, or in need of representation for a disciplinary action? Our interim staff field representative is Claude Joseph, Claude...@seiu1021.org
Mac Stevenson has left SEIU 1021! We’ll miss you Mac! 🐝
Bargaining update, April 16th
Your Bargaining Team met with management on April 16th. Read on for a synopsis of discussion topics, details, some thoughts on management’s messaging, and what you can do.
Synopsis
This session, like many previous sessions, was devoted mostly to management requests that the bargaining team approve immediate changes to status quo conditions, and not to negotiating contract articles.
Management says that the board has made a determination that the budget must be balanced this year—the same board that (according to the FY23 990) approved a $145,000 bonus for the executive director within the last year. Bargaining team members pointed out that the Academy’s 990s show that the Academy records a negative net income about as often as it records a positive one. Management so far has only discussed two cost-cutting measures with the Bargaining Team: 1) passing on $54,000 of benefit cost increases to bargaining unit staff, and 2) layoffs.
Proposed benefit cost increase
Our bargaining team let Academy management know that they would not agree to pass on any benefit cost increases to unit members at this point in negotiations, but that when the wages and benefits provisions of the first contract come to the table, then it will be time to talk.
Management asserted that this would “exacerbate the current financial deficit situation,” but based on the amount they’re proposing unit members shoulder ($54,000) relative to the projected deficit, the Bargaining Team considers this to be an exaggeration. (Note that the total amount is roughly one third of the executive director’s bonus that was awarded some time this year.)
Layoff talk
Management said they might begin reaching out to out-of-unit employees about voluntary layoffs as soon as the week of April 22. Management has told our Bargaining Team that it intends to introduce a proposal for voluntary layoffs in our unit, but our team hasn’t seen any details yet.
The bargaining team asked what non-layoff cost-cutting measures are being proposed (aside from passing on $54k in benefit costs to us). None were given, but management promised to schedule a meeting for the week of April 22nd to describe other cost-cutting strategies and host a more robust discussion of the institution’s finances with the Academy’s new CFO and our Bargaining Team.
Additionally, the CAWU team is also working to meet with SEIU researchers on their findings on the Academy’s finances.
If you directly receive anything related to voluntary layoffs, please let the bargaining team know immediately. Email bar...@calacademyworkersunited.org or speak to someone on the bargaining team in person.
Promotions, raises, bonuses
After hearing from members about stalled promotions, the Bargaining Team asked for an update from management on how promotions are being carried out. Previously, some members of our unit were told that promotions were on hold because of bargaining. The Bargaining Team made it crystal clear to management on March 5 that promotions to positions within our bargaining unit can be made according to the status quo. However, management now says, as of April 16, that all promotions will be halted due to the “deficit situation.”
Have you received a raise or bonus in the last two months? Please let us know! No judgment—and congratulations! We just need to know if policy is being applied consistently. Email bar...@calacademyworkersunited.org.
Contract Article 6: Selection and Hiring
The Bargaining Team passed along its initial Selection and Hiring proposal to management. This article will deal with processes concerning job posting, filling of vacancies, probationary periods, temporary employment, subcontracting, and interviews.
If you have thoughts about these topics, talk to your colleagues, contact your Bargaining Team representative, get in touch with a CAT member, or attend a meeting.
Nomenclature
Academy management agreed to refer to our Bargaining Team as the CalAcademy Workers United Bargaining Team, rather than “SEIU” when they talk about negotiations.
Thoughts for the weeks ahead
Layoffs and benefit cost increases are the means by which management is proposing to restructure the Academy’s budget. Or at least, these are the only ones management has shared with our Bargaining Team.
If a budget is a statement of priorities, what does this mean? That all other spending is more important? Here is something we have noticed about current Academy budget priorities that we would like to reevaluate:
Because we have a union, we have the potential to have a powerful voice in deciding what to prioritize in the Academy’s budget. But our power is only as strong as we are organized.
How you can help
Make sure you are signed up for membership, and that you know why it matters. Make sure that your colleagues know why membership matters too. Ask them!
Make sure our union is visible. Wear your button while you are at work.
Join us this Thursday April 25 for our monthly all-unit meeting at noon in the Classroom. 12:00 to 1:45pm
Share your opinion: do you think layoffs are an acceptable way to balance the Academy’s budget? Email c...@calacademyworkersunited.org.
Bargaining Update + T-shirt/Button Day TODAY 🐝
Our bargaining Team meets with management again today for another bargaining session. Are you wearing your shirts and/or pins? Visibility makes a difference!
Here’s what happened last session:
Bargaining on April 2, 2024
Benefit cost increases
The bargaining team was given another unannounced presentation by the Academy’s benefits consultants from HUB International about increasing benefit costs.
Management proposes to assume the bulk of the increase, with our bargaining unit members taking on a smaller proportion. In management’s proposal, the proportion passed on to employees would be distributed using tiers based on earnings, in a similar fashion to the existing scheme.
Our Bargaining Team will be meeting to discuss the merits of the Academy’s proposition, including a consultation with the SEIU Research Team regarding the state of the Academy’s financials, to better determine our next steps in negotiations.
What do you think about benefits increases and our current cost sharing scheme? Contact your Bargaining Team representative or anyone on the Contract Action Team. What do your colleagues think?
Tentative agreements
Time Off for Voting! Our first tentative agreement. This article of our contract, if we ratify it, will ensure time off to vote in local elections.
Continuing negotiations
More discussion over Appendix A, specifically regarding union eligibility within the accounting department.
Coming up
Management would like to talk to the Bargaining Team about the budget deficit that it has forecast.
Stay informed
Track bargaining on contract articles with our tracker sheet.
Get involved
Talk to your colleagues, attend a meeting. Check the Cal Academy Workers United Google Calendar.
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.
March news and important updates
Progress
Our Bargaining Team has been hammering out tentative agreements over union recognition, non-discrimination, and paid time off for voting. Recognition has to do with how management agrees to relate to our work. Will meeting space be made available to us? How will we place bulletin boards? How will dues deductions be made? How will management support (or hinder) the work of shop stewards?
Looking Forward
At our all-unit meeting on Feb 22 we began discussions about Seniority and Layoffs, Hiring and Promotion. These are the contract provisions that your bargaining team will be focusing on in the weeks to come. The Bargaining Team will be reviewing contract language on these topics from our sibling institutions among other places, but also needs to hear from you.
Obstacles and Sticking Points
Many of you were notified early this month of title changes via a memo from PACT. For example, our Curatorial Assistant colleagues learned that management wants to call them Collections Specialists–a typical job title for debt collectors–which caused them more than a little consternation. Even though we were assured that these titles would only be an additional column in Dayforce for unexplained administrative purposes, some staff had their titles changed on the Academy's website.
On February 13, our Bargaining Team made it clear to management that changes to wages and working conditions need to be bargained and that it is not acceptable for management to unilaterally change job titles in the midst of contract negotiations. As a result of agreements made in negotiations that day, most of you should have received emails from PACT on February 14 saying that the job title change is not intended to change any aspect of your employment. The Curatorial Assistants had their job titles corrected on the website.
NLRB charges
We have filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against Academy management for unilaterally changing job titles. Why? Because any changes to your working conditions—including your title—during this interim period must remain status quo or be made by mutual agreement. Once we have a contract, there will be structures in place that management must abide by to make any changes to your role.
Solidarity visit and action
Some of you may have heard that a group of 9 of our colleagues paid a drop-in visit to Academy management on February 1 to protest an apparent act of retaliation against one of the members of our Bargaining Team. While this matter has been partially resolved, we are still investigating and need your help:
Have you ever had a domestic partner or spouse who was laid off? Did you then apply to have them added to your Academy health insurance outside of open enrollment due to this "qualifying event"? We need to know! Email C...@calacademyworkersunited.org or bar...@calacademyworkersunited.org
This situation has also been documented and formally protested as part of our ULP filing. The case file is public, but you won't find many details in it. In order to qualify for remedies under the National Labor Relations Act, charges must be filed within 6 months of the action at issue, so don’t delay in bringing your issues to members of the Bargaining Team, CAT, or our 1021 Rep Mac Stevenson. As we develop our Cal Academy Workers United chapter structure, you will also have a primary resource for help in your colleagues serving as shop stewards.
COVID policy
Congratulations to all of you who filled out the COVID survey. Because you participated in filling out the survey, management recognized in the February 13th bargaining session that there was strong support for keeping the status quo until we ratify any changes in our first contract.
Because the current COVID policy touches on many aspects of our working conditions, our Bargaining Team wants to negotiate changes to the status quo as they come up in the context of relevant health and safety policies, sick leave, and other benefits.
As negotiations progress, keep up the good work on responding to surveys and polls. High participation rates in these polls and other group actions means that our bargaining team can make a strong case to management.
Calendar
Your bargaining team will be meeting with management every other Tuesday until June. In the month of March, that means bargaining sessions are happening on March 5 and March 19. Wear shirts and or pins on these days to show that we are capable of collective action to back up our bargaining team.
21 March (Thursday) 12:00pm to 1:45pm
Lunch Meeting
In the Moss Room. Our monthly opportunity for in-person bargaining and organizing updates and discussion. Lunch provided.
25 March (Sunday) 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Zoom Gathering
Can’t meet in person? Attend your 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: https://seiu1021.zoom.us/j/85232515547 Meeting ID: 852 3251 5547 --- One tap mobile +16699006833,
Ongoing events
For more event information, meeting times, and locations, check (or subscribe to) the Cal Academy 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 the negotiations. Just like you have heard us say over this past year: One Academy, One Union. We are stronger together. Sign up today.
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 orga...@calacademyworkersunited.org.
February news and important dates
“If you have any questions or concerns…”
There has been a lot of talk about management's Compensation Program Review. What exactly does it all mean? We aren’t sure – but do know that in the end you’ll have to decide. No really, you will.
Why? Because we have a union, any changes to wages or working conditions that management wants must be bargained with our union. That means that management must sit down with the Bargaining Team members – our colleagues who we have elected – and discuss the proposed changes.
After hearing management’s proposals for this and other issues, the Bargaining Team will then need to come to all of us and talk it over, before going back to management with our ideas and proposals. This means holding office hours, tabling sessions, discussions at our monthly lunch meetings, online town halls, online surveys, one-on one conversations, and more. In the end, we’ll vote on all those changes when it comes time to ratify our contract.
Having a union means unilateral decision making by management is over. We wonder why management didn’t mention this in their email on January 24th. Why wouldn’t they mention that?
So if you have any questions or concerns, if you like, you can contact your manager as the January 24th PACT email suggests… but remember that if you talk it over with your colleagues, or get in touch with your Bargaining Team representative, a Contract Action Team organizer, or your 1021 field rep Mac Stevenson, you’ll be building the power of our collective effort to democratize our workplace.
Speaking of visibility
Why do we do t-shirt and pin day? It’s fun, but it’s also something that’s necessary to be able to get to yes about things we really care about when management says no. You might remember that management has already said no to us before–when we asked for voluntary recognition, and when we asked for non-interference in our election.
Should we expect all “yes” at the bargaining table? If management says, “no,” what do we do then?
Labor law forced management to recognize our union after our yes vote, but it won’t force management to agree to anything in our contract. In order to have negotiating power we have to show that we are capable of coordinated collective action. That’s why t-shirt and pin day is important.
Calendar
13 and 20 February, and 5 March, (Tuesdays): T-shirt and pin days
These are the days when our bargaining team is scheduled to meet with management. Wear your union t-shirt or black and orange and your union button.Your bargaining team is more powerful when all of us are involved.
Working remotely? Download the CalAcademy Workers United digital pin.
22 February (Thursday) 12:00pm to 1:45pm: Lunch Meeting
Gather in person! We have tentatively reserved the Moss Room because the classroom is unavailable. Get to know your fellow members and get the latest news about bargaining. Have your questions answered by members of your bargaining team.
If you don’t know how to get to the Moss Room, ask a buddy!
25 February (Sunday) 2:00pm to 3:00pm: Zoom Gathering
Can’t meet in person? Attend your 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: https://seiu1021.zoom.us/j/85232515547 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 the negotiations. Just like you have heard us say over this past year: One Academy, One Union. We are stronger together. Sign up today.
Connections
The person sitting/standing next to you
Hi there!
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 orga...@calacademyworkersunited.org.
📢 Bargaining News
This past Tuesday, our bargaining team, elected by you, met with Academy management to begin the process of bargaining our first contract.
Congratulations to so many of you for turning out in t-shirts and pins to mark this major milestone–your bargaining team noticed and appreciated the support!
Who was there?
Your bargaining team members (present in their CAWU t-shirts) along with Phil Ybarrolaza, our lead negotiator from SEIU 1021, and Mac Stevenson, our SEIU 1021 field representative.
Representing Academy management were Michael Costanzo, Ayat Elnoory, Melissa Felder, Elayne Graylow, Mathew Lau, and Gina Roccanova, the Academy’s labor lawyer.
What happened?
In our first bargaining session, both teams discussed some of the major issues we are looking to change as reflected in your bargaining survey responses. Our bargaining team presented a few proposals related to how our union will work and how our contract will be upheld at the Academy.
What’s next?
Negotiations will continue with Academy management and our bargaining team working out the details of proposals in bargaining sessions. Proposals will be negotiated until management and our bargaining team are satisfied with the details. Those proposals will be considered Tentative Agreements.
Throughout this process, our bargaining team will be listening and consulting with all of us to ensure that when the final collection of tentative agreements are presented to us, it is an agreement that we will want to ratify with a majority vote.
What can you do?
Sign up to be a full CalAcademy Workers United member by clicking here.
Fill out the COVID survey by January 15th. Our bargaining team needs to hear what is important to you about COVID at work. Because we have formed a union, management is obligated to negotiate about changes to COVID policy with our representatives on the bargaining team.
Mark your calendar for the next bargaining sessions on January 17th and January 30th which will also be the next union shirt and pin day.
Talk and ask questions. Reach out to any bargaining team member and share your thoughts.
Join us for lunch on Thursday January 25th from 12–2pm and/or a virtual town hall soon after that.
Concluding thoughts
It has been two years since we started the journey of empowering ourselves to have a say in the conditions of our lives at work. We had to insist on this, and through organization and collective action, we made it happen.
As you celebrate this year’s winter solstice time, and the season of renewal that comes with it, we ask you to take a moment to reflect on the process of renewal happening at the Academy right now. Consider what it will take to achieve further success in achieving a more democratic workplace, and a more resilient, equitable, and effective California Academy of Sciences for all of us.
Happy New Year!
Your bargaining team:
Marie Angel, IBSS
Gaby Farrer, Guest Experience
Nat Kramm, Development
Victoria Langlands, Exhibits & EE & Viz Studio
TR Malcom, Brand Sales & Marketing
Clea Matson, Education
Kelley Prebil, Operations
Holly Rosenblum, Aquarium
District 10 Supervisor Walton supports Academy workers
“I am proud to serve in a city that values worker voices and the ability for workers to collectively advocate for a living wage, raise standards, and create a more democratic workplace.” Read the full letter of support for CalAcademy Workers United from Supervisor Shamann Walton. Thank you, Shamann!
Another letter of support
Another letter of support was just sent to Academy leadership from San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston. We are grateful for the solidarity, Dean! Supervisor Preston joins Shamann Walton (District 10), Myrna Melgar (District 7) and Connie Chan (District 1) in publicly proclaiming their support for CalAcademy Workers United and our drive to build a democratic workplace. More to come!