By Adam Pagnucco.
The staff union representing employees of CASA, the immigrant rights nonprofit based in Hyattsville, MD, has launched an online petition supporting its negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
CASA employees are represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (The Newsguild-CWA Local 32035). Last month, the union began negotiations with CASA for a new contract.
Earlier this month, the union launched an online petition to support its negotiations. The text appears below.
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We, the unionized workers of CASA, stand in full solidarity with our Bargaining Committee in its fight to secure a fair, dignified contract that reflects our values and protects our rights. As our workloads increase in response to growing attacks and threats on our communities by the current administration, we call on CASA to uphold its core values as an organization, recognize our critical contributions to not just our organization, but also our community, and bargain in good faith, and agree to a fair contract that ensures:
- Fair raises that reward longevity and reflect the rising cost of living;
- Timely mileage reimbursements for all work-related travel;
- Improved and easily accessible quality health care for workers across all states;
- Reasonable workloads and respect for personal time.
At a time when we face soaring increases in rent, insurance, food, medical costs, and other essentials, CASA’s counter-offer of just a 1.5% raise in Year 1 of the proposed contract is shameful and unacceptable. Are we not part of the very community that CASA claims to serve and uplift each day through our organizing, teaching, communication, services, support, and advocacy?
Though we work across departments and states, we are united behind the Bargaining Committee and the fight to protect our rights, win living wages, and secure a contract that reflects our dignity and contributions to our movement!
CASA can, and must, do better. We are united in this fight, and we will not back down.
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It’s worth noting that the latest 12-month increase in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria CPI-U (May 2024 to May 2025) is 1.9%. If the union is correct (and who knows since plenty of things get said in negotiations!), CASA may be offering an increase below inflation – amounting to a real-dollar wage cut.
I have asked CASA for comment. If I receive a response, I’ll update this post to include it.