Community Catalyst United - CCU

This last month has been incredibly heavy.

On Thursday, February 12th, our 18 members who had been placed on administrative leave over a month ago were officially laid off. Though CCU has tried to mitigate some of the harm that these layoffs have caused, we want to acknowledge that significant harm has already been done—jobs have been lost, and current staff remain confused and concerned about job security.

On Friday, February 13th, CCU submitted a proposal aimed at protecting union work and providing our members with a stronger safety net as they navigate the impact of these cuts on their livelihoods.

Amidst the pain, grief, and trauma of these current times, the way Community Catalyst has gone about this entire process has only made things exceptionally harder. Our colleagues deserve so much better. Each of our members brings unique skills, expertise, and experience, and their contributions are what make Community Catalyst’s work possible. Our current and former members’ contributions matter. And they will continue to matter long after today.

As we await management’s response, we urge Community Catalyst to accept our proposal.

We want to be clear: Accepting these recommendations will not undo the damage that has already been done. But it’s a starting point.

CCU will continue to center the dignity we deserve. We know that our members, and all workers, deserve conditions they need to thrive — within Community Catalyst and beyond.

We are always ✊

On January 14th of this new year, half of our union members were contacted by a third-party HR vendor to inform them that they had been laid off. 18 Community Catalyst union employees, some of whom have been at this organization for more than 10 years, livelihoods impacted after years of dedication to this organization.

These union members were unexpectedly ripped from their every day work; without a chance to wrap up projects that they’d put effort and time into, pass on necessary knowledge to other colleagues to continue the work, and say goodbye to coworkers and external partners they’ve spent years connecting with and supporting.

The conditions we work under in our organizations are never separate from the political conditions we advocate within. Intensifying state violence, attacks on immigrant and q***r communities, and economic uncertainty all deeply affect both the content of our work and the conditions that we as workers live under. We remain steadfast in our hope for a world where everyone has what they need to be healthy, safe, and secure. We cannot and will not fight for policies that advance those conditions externally without also demanding that those conditions exist within our workplaces as well. 

CCU is committed to finding alternatives that honor the irreplaceable labor of our staff that centers equity, care, dignity, and the humanity of workers as people first. Currently, CCU reps are working to initiate a process for a joint committee of union members and managers to propose alternatives to layoffs.

Happy Valentine’s Day, from CCU 💜