Communication Action Team
CATs Annie and Tom work together to keep their co-workers in Allen hall up to date and engaged.
Don’t worry if you’re allergic to cats, you can still be a CAT person. We’re working to have at least one CAT person in every building on campus. The bigger our team is, the stronger our campaign and contract will be.
What is a CAT?
The acronym initially stood for Contract Action Team. CATs are the communicators of the Union. Since they were first named, CATs have evolved. Created to support contract bargaining, the CAT system has been put to many uses, from building support around worksite campaigns to communicating upcoming legislative action, to growing membership. As such, they have shifted from being the Contract Action Team to the Continual/Communication Action Team.
What does a CAT do?
The contract action team is responsible for the distribution of information and person to person contact on campus. They are vital in communications of our local to classified staff. Without enough CAT members, it’s difficult to effectively reach the membership.
As we enter this upcoming bargaining session in the fall, we rely on our CAT members to share what’s happening with colleagues in your work groups. Being a CAT is one of the most important and easiest ways to be active in your union. Here’s some of the important work our CATs do:
1. Welcome new colleagues! Talk to them about the Union and encourage them to sign up.
2. Encourage your coworkers to come to Union events such as the general membership meetings, rallies, and fun events planned.
3. Keep employee bulletin boards updated with latest flyers and information.
4. Remind your colleagues to let us know what is most important to bargain for in our contract negotiations. You can do this by encouraging and reminding them to fill out their bargaining surveys when available.
5. Attend monthly CAT meetings to keep up to date on what is going on, on campus.
How do I become a CAT?
Great question! We would be happy to have you! You can become a CAT by emailing the Lead CAT – Ruby Thompson- at rubytseiu@gmail.com