1021 Members Say They Won’t Work for “Training Wages”

Sub-standard health care, retirement, pay packages make it hard to keep new hires

A refrain is being heard around the state. It’s the sound of SEIU 1021 members telling their local governments they won’t keep working for trainee-level wages and benefits.

More than 70 Napa County members converged on a Board of Supervisors meeting June 5 to let their electeds know that county offices cannot recruit or retain qualified people.

“It’s become apparent that our department is emerging as a great place to be hired, gain some experience, and use that experience to transfer to a larger county with higher wages and better retirement,” said Deputy Probation Officer Jeremy Kelly. He told the board that in recent years, Napa County has lost eight veteran officers to other jurisdictions due to its lack of safety retirement.

Employees of neighboring Marin County are saying the same thing, especially in the Probation Department. Contracts in both counties are expiring June 30, and members in both places are complaining about management stalling in negotiations. Members who work in these counties often cannot afford to live there, they say. Last year, members in San Joaquin County also said sub-standard employment packages made it hard to find and keep new employees, who would come to get a couple years of job experience and then move on to higher-paying counties.

Training wages don't just afflict county workers. Members employed by the City of Hayward said the same thing to their city council at an action in May.

911 Dispatcher Esther Jobrack told council members that laterals don’t apply after visiting the dispatch center. “They tell us they don’t want to work as hard as our 911 team foes for the pay they offer,” she said.