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!