Call to Action: Betrayal in Ukiah

Head Start Administrator Tries To "Eliminate" Signed Agreements

North Coast Opportunities, a Ukiah-based agency that employs SEIU 1021 Head Start workers, is trying to pretend that a signed TA means nothing and they can unilaterally change it whenever they want.

Our contract negotiations were productive and we thought we had one more day left to negotiate. Then Head Start Administrator Corrine Lindgren showed up and unilaterally eliminated about half of our 36 signed tentative agreements. The irony is that she herself signed those agreements! Even the mediator couldn’t believe what she was trying to do, and multiple ULPs have been filed with the NLRB already.

The agreements Lindgren eliminated include a "just cause" provision preventing her from terminating our members without reason, as well as an arbitration clause providing for an independent third party to decide grievances and disciplinary matters.

The ill will created by Lindgren has resulted in heavy turnover among management and workers alike. Lindgren was the reason most frequently cited by workers for why they wanted a union in the first place.

“I could be making more money elsewhere, but I do this work because I believe in it,” said Head Start teacher and SEIU 1021 member Debbie Thomas. "That's why I'm so livid about how we've been treated."

Please Help!

Call the NCO board! Let them know Corrine Lindgren's behavior is unacceptable, and that NCO should set a better example for its students and the community by honoring its agreements.

Marilyn Heath, Chair
(707) 463-1549

Ed Robey, Vice-chair
(707) 994-8304

Sylvia Young
(707) 262-0882

Jonah Friedman
(707) 467-1877

Megan Allende
(707) 468-1010

Tom Monperet
(707) 462-1865

Gary Mirata
(707) 462-4550