CAP Union Letter to Center for American Progress CEO and President Neera Tanden

Dear CEO and President Neera Tanden, 

We the members of the Center for American Progress’ staff union, CAP Union, are writing to urge you and the rest of management to reach a final agreement regarding union representation in CAP's Reopening Committee and recurring monthly stipends for telecommuting costs.

CAP staff have now been working remotely for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, our members have had to rethink living situations, upgrade internet packages, and increase utility use. The necessity of remote work has created a financial burden to just do our jobs. With the median annual pay for CAP Union members at $58,118, these added costs are both inequitable and unsustainable. For months, we have been meeting with CAP management to negotiate a solution, and after much compromise, we have proposed a $100 per month stipend to allow us to afford to do our jobs remotely. 

Additionally, we have been shut out of the reopening process by not being included in the CAP Reopening Committee. As a union of more than 100 CAP employees, we represent a large segment of the organization. Any decisions related to returning to the office will greatly affect our health, safety, and livelihoods. We deserve a seat at the table and say in the reopening process and urge you to promptly address this by including union representatives in the Reopening Committee as soon as possible. 

We realize this has been a busy time, as you have been focused on a potential transition to the Biden administration. Acknowledging this, we want to remind you of President Biden’s support for unions and workers’ ability to negotiate with their employers. As President Biden recently said, “my administration’s policy would be to support unions organizing and the right to collective bargain.” As a potential future member of the Biden administration, we encourage you to respect the workplace rights and needs of your own staff union here at CAP. 

During the pandemic, CAP Union members have been doing critical work to keep the organization running. It has been a challenging time for everyone, but remote work has especially impacted our members. We are urging you to accept our proposals and reach a final agreement granting CAP Union members a monthly stipend of $100 in addition to including us in the CAP Reopening Committee. CAP has the opportunity to model what being a pro-worker employer looks like—we hope you take this opportunity to support your workers.

Thank you for your cooperation. 

Sincerely, 

CAP Union