Union actions

restore most

of Mayor’s cuts

July 25, 2008

When Mayor Gavin Newsom unveiled his proposal for the city’s 2008-2009 budget seven weeks ago, it was all doom and gloom, a disaster for city workers and the residents who depend on the services they provide.

San Francisco was facing its largest deficit in recent history, a $338 million hole, 35 percent of its discretionary funds. The best solution the Mayor could find was axing 1085 city jobs, putting all workers on an unpaid week-long furlough, contracting out jobs and whacking all non-profit service organizations by 22 percent across the board. The sky was falling and the Mayor meant to make sure the largest load was dumped on SEIU 1021.

But the union did not concede. Members organized, mobilized, lobbied and rallied. They researched the proposal, analyzed the numbers and developed alternatives. They stuck together and their efforts bore fruit.

When the Board of Supervisors voted on a final budget July 22 and the dust settled, the furlough idea was dead, contracting out was beaten back again and active city and county members facing layoffs are down to around 45. And most all of the private non-profits were restored to full funding.

By any measure—especially factoring in the opposing forces and the state of the economy—the union scored a victory.

But, of course, we did not win everything. For the 45 or so of our brothers and sisters who will lose their jobs, celebratory cheers ring hollow (although the Internal Job Placement Committee is working to minimize the damage). The scores of positions eliminated by attrition will likely not return and the services they provided are lost to the city’s needy. And closing down successful programs, like some of those at the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, only raises the misery level of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

Still, SEIU 1021 members can be proud that together as a union they used their smarts and flexed their muscle to beat back the Mayor’s vision of an axed and bleeding San Francisco. We can take a little time to savor our victories and reflect on how we got here.

But not for long. The Mayor and some Supervisors are not happy with our success and don’t plan to let it sit. Already plans are being made for mid-year budget cuts and SEIU 1021 is in the crosshairs. And we have not driven a stake through the heart of public employees’ biggest threat—contracting out. Privatization will be raised again.

So we must start preparing for the next round soon. And that means winning some crucial votes in the November election. (see "The November election and SEIyou" below.)

Start with hiring your boss. SEIU 1021 has endorsed three pro-worker candidates for the Board of Supervisors. If we are to fight off the next round of cuts, all of them have to be elected.

The union has also endorsed a couple of ballot revenue enhancement measures designed to begin dealing with the city’s structural budget deficit. If the city isn’t always broke, we won’t have to fight off as many cuts.