Open Letter from SEIU 1021 President to Sonoma Courts

"The First Amendment exists for all of us — not just for causes and affiliations you deem convenient."

August 24, 2007

Denise Gordon, Executive Officer
Sonoma County Hall of Justice
600 Administration Drive, Room 107J
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Dear Ms. Gordon,

I am writing to express my grave concern about the repressive management tactics and intimidation of our members now occurring at the Sonoma Superior Court. Our members have a right to bargain collectively and to support that bargaining process collectively.

You and Mr. Lewin continue to repeat that an SEIU button or t-shirt is “political speech,” as if you’ re saying it over and over makes it so. I would urge upon you a bit more modesty when attempting to unilaterally define who and what we are. Our union includes members from across the political spectrum — from conservative Republicans to liberal Democrats and Greens.

Nothing worn by our members indicates to the public how they should vote or which political party to support. It simply denotes a collective affiliation. Judges and attorneys likewise are members of work-related associations and other groups — will you also be stripping them of anything indicating membership in a Bar Association or Rotary Club?

What SEIU does is advocate for the wages, benefits, and working conditions of our members. Why is ensuring that working families have access to health care any more “political” than supporting breast cancer research — a notion which is permitted to be publicly expressed on buttons in your courts and offices.

Surely you’ll admit that the Iraq war is a much more politically charged issue than one’s membership in SEIU. Do you intend to also ban any expressions of support for the troops where these might be seen by the public?

It is ironic that you profess the perception of your court ‘s “impartiality” to be a top concern, while demonstrating a complete lack of any of the evenhandedness you espouse. I await your response to whether you are removing all speech which, by your broad definition, could be considered “political,” or whether you’ll return to the more rational days preceding this draconian policy.

I assure you that neither I nor our 55,000 members throughout Northern California will stand idly by while you continue to single out our members for what is clearly a double standard. The First Amendment exists for all of us — not just for causes and affiliations you deem convenient.

Damita Davis-Howard
President, SEIU 1021