California Associate Staff (CAS) is the exclusive bargaining entity for Associate Staff employed by the California Teachers Association. CAS was incorporated in 1971. CAS has the legal obligation to represent the interests of each bargaining-unit member while, at the same time, protecting collective interest.

CAS Organizing

View the CAS Organizing plan
Member Update April 2008

On December 2, 2007, your CAS Leadership attended a workshop at Representative Council. The all-day training was conducted by Marilyn Aden, CTA Organizer for Region 1, and trainer for NSO (National Staff Organization). Area Directors, Representatives, Alternate Representatives, and Committee Chairs were in attendance.

The session focused on team building and developing stronger relationships between CAS leaders and members, as well as member to member rapport. We were divided into 3 smaller groups to brainstorm ideas, objectives, and methods to achieve those objectives. It was remarkable to observe that the proposals from the 3 individual groups were in alignment with each other.

Key points that were agreed upon:

• Personal contact with members is best, whether face-to-face or by phone call, depending on geographical area
• CAS Leadership is responsible for initiating contact with members and for organizing events that involve members and keep them informed
• CAS Leadership should provide opportunities for members to connect and network with other members

Next, we needed to come up with a strategy to implement the key points. Various and creative ideas were proposed by the individual groups, along with a list of what is needed to execute our plans. The Organizing Committee collected the information and blended it with an organizing plan that had been drafted at an earlier date.

Here it is:

1. After each CAS Representative Council, each member will receive a personal contact (face-to-face or phone call) from their CAS Leadership with talking points of area, statewide, and national issues. Our goal is to complete this task within 10 working days of Representative Council.

2. HOUSE meetings will be scheduled at least once a year in every region.

3. All members will wear their CAS pins or shirts once a month at a pre-determined date.

Simple? Yes!

This is a plan that can be actualized with a minimum of effort and expenditures. In fact, the Talking Points from the December Rep Council were sent to your Area Directors last week. If you haven’t received a personal contact yet, give your CAS Representative a call.

What will our union gain? Members will be well informed. Members have the opportunity to ask questions or request clarification on the issues discussed. Members can talk about any union issues not covered in the Talking Points because this plan is member oriented, and we want to utilize these personal communications to keep our hands on the pulse of our union. Solidarity is demonstrated to all when we wear our CAS shirts and/or pins once a month.

Bottom line…we need to strengthen our union by empowering members. It is imperative to have a solid foundation in order to defend and protect our contract. A bargaining year is coming up, we need to act, and participate, now!