I am in a runoff election for the final Head Steward position in the greater Sacramento area and I need your vote on November 3-4, 2025 to add an experienced and critical perspective and vote to our union’s Joint Council. I am committed to working as part of our union’s elected leadership to achieve a more reliable, effective, and sustainable CAPS UAW that serves our membership with integrity and invests in the ranks of our future leaders.
Come get to know me, my vision for District 3, and experience-informed priorities as your final candidate for our CAPS UAW Joint Council—because I want to earn your vote.
Ballots for the runoff election will be sent via email to District 3 Members ONLY by ElectionBuddy on Monday, November 3rd and close Tuesday, November 4th. Find more details on the CAPS website by clicking here.
My name is Katey Rein (pronounced like the weather) and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I joined the state from the private sector in May 2022 and work as an Environmental Scientist in the Division of Integrated Science and Engineering at the Department of Water Resources (DWR). I work in West Sacramento in DWR’s Quality Assurance Program to ensure the data generated by our scientists and engineers is of the best known and documented quality, focusing on continuous improvement. I absolutely love my job and the part I play in supporting transparent decision making using the best available data and conducting root cause analysis to improve systems. I was recently given an Outstanding Technical Accomplishment Award from my Department’s Director in 2025.
I first got involved in our union soon after hire because I was frustrated with a lack of action and response by CAPS to my Department mandating a blanket >50% in-office schedule as of July 2022 for divisions that fell under the State Water Project. I started attending board meetings, asking questions, and reporting information back to my coworkers. And with more conversations about the union with those at my worksite It came learning of the history of our contract fight (at that time two years out of contract) and the low morale and general disillusionment with CAPS by my coworkers. It wasn’t long before I caught the organizing bug and got involved with the newly formed Contract Action Team (CAT) as a Worksite Lead and then promoted to a Coordinator in late Summer 2023 as bargaining efforts with our employer continued to stagnate. I continued to connect with other CATs and union leaders across the state, build relationships with scientists more broadly across my Department, and have tough conversations about the state of our contract and what it might take to move the needle in our fight for pay equity.
The week before our intent to strike was announced following our membership’s affirmative vote to provide the Bargaining Committee the ability to authorize a strike, I found myself approached by the newly elected Executive Board to chair the Member Action Committee (MAC) and fill that role as our union’s first non-Executive Board member committee chair. The imposter syndrome and fear of failure were quite high, to say the least, but so was the encouragement from union leaders I so admired and knowing how critical it was to have that position filled with a history making strike set to be announced. In November 2023, I was appointed as chair of the MAC by President Jacqueline Tkac. In that role, I played major roles in our union’s historic November 15-17, 2023 Defiance for Science strike, 2024 affiliation campaign with the UAW, numerous 2024 escalating contract fight actions, 2024 contract ratification campaign, organization and growth of our CATs from ~100 to over 300, and securing the highest member participation rates our union has ever seen. It was my honor to serve in that role alongside such incredible committee members and CATs.
Since then, I have focused on providing worksite and broader district 3 member support and growing my knowledge of our contract and CalHR policies, with a special focus on reasonable accommodations for scientists with temporary or permanent medical conditions and disabilities. I also serve as union lead for an Out-of-Class (OOC) grievance that is going to arbitration in October 2025, working closely with a UAW Region 6 attorney to prepare the case, witnesses, and evidence for our union’s first OOC grievance to make it to arbitration in recent memory. I am proud to be a member of CAPS, UAW Local 1115 and look forward to serving my union and continuing to learn alongside my comrades.
*As Chair of the MAC, I secured this training for members of the Contract Action Team, creating the first opportunity for real organizing training for members outside of executive board positions.
In my years serving our union, I’ve witnessed some of the most powerful moments in CAPS (and CAPS UAW) history and know what it took for us to get there together. I’ve also seen many incredible leaders and mentors burn out, and systems and best intentions fail to meet the mark. My priorities are shaped by my experience, love for my career serving the people of California, and passion for a more reliable, effective, and sustainable CAPS UAW.
Improve District 3’s management and administration of member issues and concerns to improve response time and delegation to the relevant area stewards and officers.
Secure and advertise internal and external training and educational opportunities for stewards and members to grow our collective knowledge base on representational issues and organizing for power.
Establish effective communication pathways for area stewards to learn from each other and support realtime problem solving.
Work with the other District 3 head stewards and area stewards to develop measurable metrics for the effectiveness of union communication, training, and organizing actions and use that data to continuously improve our systems and approaches.
Advance initiatives and decisions on the Joint Council that move CAPS UAW towards being a more reliable, effective, and sustainable union.
Create meaningful opportunities for more scientists to get involved in the actions and work groups within our union, and more broadly through UAW Region 6 and community partners, that fit their capacity and expand our union’s capacity.
Members trust that questions, concerns, and feedback will be received and responded to in a timely fashion. Our union must be reliable at every level.
Members feel that actions and communication are effective, both in the quality of our organizing and representation but also in growing our collective knowledge base through each steward, future steward, and the membership at large. Our employer sees us as a credible threat that is effective at every level.
Our union exists as an entity that is not defined by or reliant upon any small concentration of people to survive the next bargaining cycle. Members are given meaningful opportunities to build skills and get involved with efforts they’re passionate about, feeling proud and valued as a CAPS UAW member.
I encourage you to reach out to me at KateyRein.caps@gmail.com with any questions or feedback. Who's got the power? We've got the power! What kind of power? Union power!
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