Guild of Autistic Self-Advocate Staff (GASS)
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Guild of Autistic Self-Advocate Staff (GASS)
@autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
1K followers 62 following 47 posts
“Nothing about us without us” includes us!
https://cwalocals.org/gass

(formerly known as ASAU)
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autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
A probationary period is a specific time when a worker starts their new job. Learn more about probationary periods and why they are unfair here: cwalocals.org/gass/probati...
Black text in a white box over a colorful background reads "Probationary Periods and Why They Suck. A probationary period is a specific time when a worker starts their new job. Probationary periods can last different amounts of time. They can be two months, six months, one year, or another amount of time. Probationary employees are workers in a probation period. During a probationary period, new workers do not get as many protections from their labor union. Unions have rules about what happens when union members get in trouble at work. Unions also have rules about what happens when union members get fired. These rules help make sure union members are treated fairly. But bosses do not have to follow these rules for a new worker in a probationary period. That is unfair." The GASS logo appears at the bottom.
September 15, 2025 at 11:00 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
💡 What is a labor union? What rights do workers get when they form a labor union? We made a plain language guide that talks about what a labor union is and why they matter. Check it out below!
A graphic with a colorful background and a white box. The header says, "What is a Union? Words to Know" The bulleted list says, "Bargaining: coming up with a contract for the workers and management at the place you work. Bargaining committee: members of the union who help write the contract and meet with management. Collective bargaining: the right to negotiate with management to make a contract. Discipline meeting: a meeting where management talks to you about something they think you did wrong at work. Negotiate: trying to make an agreement with someone. Organize: start a union with your co-workers. Union: a group of workers who come together to protect their rights at work. Wall to wall union: a kind of union where everyone who works at the place you work can be a part of it." A graphic with a colorful background and a white box. The header says "What is a union?" The rest of the text says, "A union is a group of workers who come together to protect their rights at work. Some people think a union is a group from outside a workplace. They think a union will stop workers from talking to their employers. This is not true. Workers form unions. The people in a union all work together. An employer is someone who pays you to do work. Some employers say that unions are not important today. That is not true. People who are in charge of businesses also negotiate their contracts like unions. Negotiating means trying to make an agreement with someone. Both contracts talk about things like how much you get paid, when you work, what happens if you get in trouble at work, what happens if you get fired, what happens if you retire, what happens when you are sick, what happens when you want to take a vacation, how your employer will protect you, and more" A graphic with a colorful background and a white box. The text says, "It should not be different for workers! Workers should not have fewer rights. Having a union is the only way to negotiate a contract and make our jobs a better place. Some unions include all the people who work somewhere. Other unions are just for people who work in a specific part of the company. For example, the Guild of Autistic Self-Advocate Staff (GASS) is a wall to wall union. A wall to wall union means that everyone who works at the place you work can be a part of it. Workers get a lot of important rights when we form a union. One of the most important rights we get is the right to collective bargaining. Bargaining means coming up with a contract for the workers and management at the place you work. Collective bargaining is the right to negotiate with management to make a contract. The law says your employer has to bargain with you and your co-workers after you organize. Text says, "Organizing here means starting a union with your co-workers. It can take a long time to win your first contract. Sometimes a contract can take weeks, months, or even years. The bargaining committee meets with management to bargain. The bargaining committee are members of the union. They help write the contract and meet with management. After the bargaining committee and the employer agree on a contract, your union will vote. If your union votes for the contract, your employer cannot change your contract or take it away. The law says your employer has to follow the contract. If your workplace already has a union and you have a question, you can talk to a steward. Stewards are union members who get extra training about management. They help other members of the union. A steward is a good person to ask to join a discipline meeting. A discipline meeting is a meeting where management talks to you about something they think you did wrong at work." The GASS logo is on the bottom.
August 23, 2025 at 4:01 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
May 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
🚨 Big news: GASS just kicked off our first bargaining session on May 27th! 💥

Our bargaining committee is ready to fight for what matters to all of us. It might take time — but we’re in it together. ✊

Every member of GASS believes in this pledge! 💪 #UnionStrong
May 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Sign our petition to keep our union united! https://buff.ly/4jyAcIn
Image of a hand in motion towards a big blue button. Text above the image reads: ASAN Leadership decking how to respond to their workers unionizing. Text on the blue button reads: Hire Union Busting Law Firm
January 30, 2025 at 1:30 AM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Solidarity sparks joy. Union busting does not. https://buff.ly/4jyAcIn
There’s a 4 panel Marie Condo meme. First panel is a picture of an Asian woman wearing a white outfit sitting on the couch with her hands out in front of her. Text reads: This one does not spark joy. Second panel is the ASAU logo with parts of it fading away. Text reads: ASAN leadership arguing to exclude 25% of ASAU. Third panel is a picture of the Asian woman smiling on the same couch with her hands clasped in front of her. Text reads: This one sparks joy. Fourth panel: the ASAU logo without any fading. Text reads: ASAU with all of our members included.
January 29, 2025 at 11:15 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Memes help with certain types of headaches...
Title text says "Types of Headaches" with four examples illustrated with a head and red coloring showing where the pain is. Migraine is shown with a red spot near the eye and the top front of the head. Hypertension is shown with red on the back of the skull. Stress is shown with red wrapped around the forehead to the back of the head. "Dealing with union busting" has a full red colored head.
January 26, 2025 at 2:09 AM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
https://buff.ly/3E7moUS
Meme from the squid games. First panel is an Asian man smiling with long hair. Text reads: Learning ASAN Leadership is going to voluntarily recognize our union. The second panel is him with short hair frowning and glaring at the camera. Text reads: Learning ASAN Leadership hired a known union busting law firm to try to shrink our bargaining unit.
January 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Nyehhh! https://buff.ly/3E7moUS
Four panel meme drawing, labelled "ASAN Leadership." First panel is a green figure iwth a hat in a cave opening a chest, saying "I've finally found it...after 15 years." Second panel is the same being pulling out a shining scroll and saying, "The scroll of truth!" Third panel is the scroll unraveled and it says, "Workers organizing show they care deeply about their work and their community they serve, not that they're trying to harm the organization." Fourth panel, the figure throws the scroll and yells, "Nyehhh."
January 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Right???
Four panel meme from Star Wars. First panel is a picture of Anakin (white man with a long small braid in front of green grass). He is labelled ASAN Leadership. He says, "We'll voluntarily recognize ASAU." Second panel is Padme, a white woman with hair in two sidebuns. She is smiling. She is labelled ASAU. She says, "So you'll recognize all of us as part of ASAU and not to try fight us on who is in the union?" Third panel is a zoomed in image of Anakin looking serious. Fourth panel is is Padme, no longer smiling. She says, "You'll recognize all of us, right?"
January 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
ASAN is trying to stop 3 staff from joining ASAU. Sign our petition to show support for a fully united ASAU! https://buff.ly/3E7moUS
Illustration of a man with glasses looking up at a butterfly. He is labelled "ASAN Leadership" and the yellow butterfly is labelled "Workers organizing in good faith." He asks, "Is this a threat to our power that we should spend a lot of money to stop?"
January 24, 2025 at 1:00 AM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Sign our petition! https://buff.ly/3E7moUS
Pawn stars meme. Image of two white men in a pawn shop behind the counter. Text reads: When we ask ASAN Leadership for voluntary recognition of our whole bargaining unit. One of the men says, "best I can do is 75%"
January 23, 2025 at 11:00 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Nothing about us without all of us means recognizing all of ASAU! https://buff.ly/3E7moUS
Red and black background. Images in the center have 4 images of a seagull looking more and more upset as they go down. The fourth image is in red and the seagull has an open mouth and a bright red eye. The text across the four images says, " Nothing about us Without us Means ALL OF US"
January 23, 2025 at 9:00 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Support ASAU, sign our petition: https://buff.ly/3E7moUS
a picture of a car turning rapidly to exit the highway. Sign on the overpass has an arrow pointing forward that says "Voluntarily recognizing all of ASAU" and an arrow pointing towards the exit saying "Hiring a union buster and trying to exclude multiple ASAU members." The car is labelled ASAU leadership.
January 23, 2025 at 7:35 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Alex is excited to unionize with ASAN in order to bring "Nothing about us without us" fully into the heart of ASAN!
Light green background with a pink circles and curved lines. In the top right corner, there is a circular picture of Alex (white person smiling with glasses and a black hat. They are wearing a white, green, and red keffiyeh and are outside). Text reads: Alex Grandstaff, they/them, Program Manager. "The rallying cry of the autistic self-advocacy movement has been "Nothing about us without us." Every day, ASAN lives that mission by fighting for better public policy, better research, and better programs, ones that are build with autistic people, not around us. By unionizing, I believe ASAU will bring "Nothing about us without us" fully into the heart of ASAN."
January 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
Check out why ASAN staff member Mar is excited to unionize!
Light pink background with green circles an circular lines. In the bottom right corner, there is a circular picture of Mar (Asian and white person with short black hair smiling and wearing a red, green, and white keffiyeh in front of trees). Text reads: "As an autistic person of color (amongst other marginalized identities), I face combinations of ableism and racism everywhere I've worked. It's unfortunate that disability rights organizations are historically and currently white dominated spaces. Unionizing is a way to promote equity of all types in the workplace through things like pay equity and other protections. I hope that in unionizing, we can build a more equitable future for ASAN and pave the way for other disability orgs and disabled workers to unionize and do the same!" Mar Zapanta-Rosales, they/them/Communications Associate
January 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
ASAN staff is uniting to form the Autistic Self Advocacy Union! Today, we have officially asked management to voluntarily recognize our union. We hope they choose to do so soon!
Textured pink background with a light pink rounded square in the center. Inside, green text is at the top in an arch that reads: ASAN Staff is Uniting to Form the Autistic Self Advocacy Union! There is a picture of 11 faces with a zoom background that has the ASAU logo. Text reads: We organized as part of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, a local chapter of The NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America (TNG-CWA Local 39521). Today, we have officially asked management to voluntarily recognize our union. We hope they choose to do so soon.
January 8, 2025 at 3:40 PM
autisticstaffguild.bsky.social
We are the Autistic Self Advocacy Union. We are a union of Autistic Self Advocacy Network staff organizing with @NewsGuild.org and @CWAUnion.bsky.social to make our workplace better because we want to better serve our community. We believe that “nothing about us without us” includes us!
Background is a light rainbow colored gradient. There is a black circle in the center. White text at the top reads: The NewsGuild-CWA, Local 39521. There is a rainbow colored angled infinity sign made with four hands that meet in the center. White text reads: ASAU Autistic Self Advocacy Union
January 8, 2025 at 3:30 PM