California Association of Professional Sciences

What California Association of Professional Sciences does

California Association of Professional Scientists, operating as CAPS, UAW Local 1115, is a labor union founded in 1984 that holds exclusive statutory representation rights for approximately 6,000 California state scientists classified under State Bargaining Unit 10 (Professional Scientific). Members include roughly 4,600 rank-and-file scientists, 1,200 scientific supervisors, and 200 scientific managers distributed across California state departments including CalEPA, CDPH, DWR, CDFW, CALFIRE, DTSC, and CEC. The union's sole 'customer' is the State of California as employer, and its sole revenue stream is membership dues.

The union's product is collective bargaining and representation services rather than technology. Its core deliverables include negotiation of the Memorandum of Understanding (currently the 2024-2027 MOU effective July 2024), contract enforcement through grievance representation, negotiated benefits (including enhanced State Disability Insurance providing 70-90% income replacement up to $1,681/week, and CalPERS health plan participation), and political advocacy via the VCAP political fund and coalition work with SEIU Local 1000, AFSCME 2620, and the California Federation of Labor Unions. In March 2024, members voted 88% in favor of affiliating with the United Auto Workers, making CAPS UAW Local 1115 and gaining access to the UAW Strike and Defense Fund.

The business model is a recurring subscription-like revenue structure based on a progressive percentage-of-salary dues model (1.44% of salary for most members, 1.095% for those without legal right to strike), collected via state payroll deduction. Distribution is community-led, leveraging AB119-mandated access to new employee orientations, worksite outreach, workplace issue reporting, and member-led political organizing. Geographic scope is exclusively California, with members organized across eight districts covering Southern California, the Central Valley, Sacramento, the Bay Area, and Northern California.

Name

California Association of Professional Sciences

Legal name

California Association of Professional Scientists, UAW Local 1115

Website

https://capsscientists.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CAPS, UAW Local 1115 is a Sacramento-based labor union representing roughly 6,000 California state scientists across CalEPA, CDPH, DWR, CDFW, and other agencies, providing exclusive collective bargaining, contract enforcement, enhanced SDI benefits, and political advocacy funded by 1.44% salary-based dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CAPS-UAW generates revenue through percentage-based membership dues. In March 2024, members voted to affiliate with UAW and adopted a progressive dues structure (percentage of salary rather than flat amount). The dues rate is 1.44% of salary for most members. Those without legal right to strike pay 1.095% of salary. Dues are collected via payroll deduction and fund union operations, representation, bargaining, and political action.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CAPS, UAW Local 1115 is a labor union that provides collective bargaining representation, contract enforcement, and workplace advocacy for approximately 6,000 California state scientists. Its member services include the 2024-2027 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), State Disability Insurance (SDI) benefits, a classification audit, workplace issue reporting, and political action through the Voluntary Community Action Program (VCAP). The union is funded by percentage-based membership dues (1.44% of salary) collected via payroll deduction.

Product overview

CAPS, UAW Local 1115 is a labor union representing approximately 6,000 state scientists employed by the State of California across three units: Unit 1 (Rank and File, approximately 4,600 members), Unit 2 (Supervisors, approximately 1,200 members), and Unit 3 (Managers, approximately 200 members). The union offers services including collective bargaining representation, workplace issue reporting, member resources (health plan information, disability insurance programs), political action initiatives, and advocacy. CAPS-UAW is not a technology product company; it provides union membership and representation services rather than a software platform or technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAPS-UAW Union Membership Membership in the exclusive representative union for State Bargaining Unit 10 (Professional Scientific). Members gain access to collective bargaining representation, contract enforcement, workplace issue reporting, and political advocacy. Membership dues are 1.44% of salary (effective January 1, 2028 per CAPS-UAW bylaws), collected via payroll deduction.
• CAPS-UAW 2024-2027 Collective Bargaining Contract (MOU) The Memorandum of Understanding between CAPS-UAW and the State of California that governs wages, benefits, and working conditions for approximately 6,000 state scientists through July 2027. The MOU includes Article 2.21 (classification audit) and enhanced SDI benefits replacing NDI.
• Workplace Issue Reporting and Representation Member-facing service that connects state scientists with colleague organizers to report workplace issues or contract violations. Direct intake form routes issues to union representatives for resolution under the MOU.
• State Disability Insurance (SDI) Program Enhanced SDI benefits negotiated under the 2024-2027 MOU that replaced NDI. Provides 70-90% income replacement up to $1,681/week during disability, with health insurance continuation during the disability period. Available to CAPS-UAW rank-and-file members in Bargaining Unit 10.
• CAPS-UAW Political Action Program (VCAP) Political advocacy program that enables members to participate in candidate endorsements, support pro-worker candidates through VCAP contributions, and engage in elected official outreach on issues affecting state scientists.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UAW Region 6coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024CAPS affiliated with UAW in March 2024 following an 88% supermajority vote by members. CAPS is now UAW Local 1115 and has a seat on the UAW Region 6 Western States CAP/PAC Council's Board, working to support pro-worker political initiatives and elect endorsed candidates.
• SEIU Local 1000coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCoalition partner in fighting return-to-office mandates and defending state workers. Joint 'State Workers are Holding the Line' rally organized with SEIU Local 1000 at the California Capitol.
• AFSCME 2620majorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoalition partner in the State Worker Union Coalition opposing Governor's RTO mandate. Joined petition to tell Governor Newsom to rescind the costly return-to-office mandate.
• California Federation of Labor UnionsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCAPS-UAW members participate in the California Federation of Labor Unions' gubernatorial candidate endorsement events and the candidate interview process.
• Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, Inc. (SEC)minorOthersThe state hired SEC to conduct a classification audit of CAPS-UAW member classifications as negotiated in Article 2.21 of the MOU. The audit examines job functions of scientists to inform future bargaining.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SEIU Local 1000: California's largest state employee union, representing tens of thousands of state civil servants across multiple bargaining units. Direct coalition partner with CAPS-UAW in opposing RTO mandates and advocating for state workers, with overlapping public-sector collective bargaining structure.
• AFSCME Local 2620: AFSCME-affiliated California state employees union that has joined CAPS-UAW in the State Worker Union Coalition petition against the RTO mandate. Represents another segment of California state workers and shares the same exclusive-representation, public-sector bargaining model.
• California State Employees Association (CASE): California state employees association operating as an independent union representing state civil service workers. Comparable in exclusive representation of state employees and operates in the same collective bargaining and political environment as CAPS-UAW.
• California School Employees Association (CSEA): One of California's largest public employee unions, representing school, community college, and county office of education employees. Operates under the same California public-sector labor framework as CAPS-UAW and pursues similar collective bargaining, political action, and dues-based funding models.
• California Federation of Teachers (CFT): Represents faculty and public employees in California community colleges and K-12 districts. Operates under California public-sector collective bargaining law and engages in similar coalition politics with state labor federations alongside CAPS-UAW.
• California Nurses Association / National Nurses United: Major California-based public and healthcare-sector union that engages in aggressive collective bargaining, political action, and coalition work in Sacramento. Operates a comparable dues-funded, member-governed advocacy model for a specialized professional workforce in California.
• International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE): Union representing professional and technical engineers and scientists across public and private sectors. Directly comparable to CAPS-UAW in representing specialized scientific/technical professionals under collective bargaining frameworks, including state and federal scientific workforces.

Broad incumbents

• UAW (United Auto Workers): International labor union that CAPS-UAW affiliated with in 2024 as UAW Local 1115. While broader in industrial scope, UAW is the parent organization and provides the regulatory, financial, and political infrastructure within which CAPS-UAW now operates.
• SEIU (Service Employees International Union): Parent international union of SEIU Local 1000, CAPS-UAW's primary coalition partner. Operates in public-sector bargaining, political action, and progressive dues-funded organizing at national scale, providing the structural and political template that parallels CAPS-UAW's affiliation with UAW.
• AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees): National parent of AFSCME 2620 and the largest public-sector union in the U.S. Engages in the same California public-sector collective bargaining, political action, and member representation space as CAPS-UAW, providing structural comparison for membership-funded advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/capsscientists
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-association-of-professional-scientists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about California Association of Professional Sciences