Caliber Public Schools Management Recognizes Union of Teachers and Staff
196 Teachers and staff at California public charter school group bring their employer to the bargaining table following 2 year effort to unionize
RICHMOND, California — On the evening of Wednesday May 26, 2022 California Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Terence Johnson announced that the California public charter school group is officially recognizing the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) as the exclusive bargaining representative of its employees.
In the all-staff email announcement, Johnson confirmed that the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) had verified majority support for the union among 196 employees working at the charter school group’s two branches, Caliber: Beta Academy and Caliber: ChangeMakers stating that “PERB confirmed last week that there is majority support across Caliber as a whole for the Caliber Workers Union. Given that… I’m now in a position to recognize the Caliber Workers Union as the representative of our two categories of workers: Certificated, non-supervisory employees (those who are credentialed and who do not formally supervise other staff members); Classified, non-supervisory employees (those who are not credentialed and who do not formally supervise other staff members).”
The IWW welcomes Johnson’s concluding remark that “Caliber and the Union will now establish teams who will work together to develop mutually agreeable labor agreements for both our certificated and classified staff.”
Caliber workers are excited by this major step in ongoing communication and collaboration between their union and their schools’ management.
Caliber Public Schools consists of two campuses located in Richmond and Vallejo, CA serving over 1,700 students in grades TK-8.
“I am proud and inspired to be working alongside such brilliant and dedicated educators. Unionization allows us to join the ranks of thousands of other schools across the country by ensuring that our staff are protected. I see unionization as an investment in our network’s future: Our community has stood up to say yes to partnership, yes to accountability, and yes to the belief that we are strongest when all of our voices get a seat at the table. Our administration has already made some incredible changes. I’m excited to continue partnering with them, and look forward to all that this new chapter will bring!” - Fourth Grade Lead Teacher Gerri Swift
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) is a labor union representing nearly 9,000 workers across North America. Established in 1905, the IWW is known for its high standards of democracy, transparency, multinationalism, and active use of the right to strike.