Turning the Tide in the Central Valley

San Joaquin Co. lies on 1021's border -- but at the heart of the action

by Randy Lyman

On a political map of California, San Joaquin is a battleground county.

In the last election for governor and the special election of 2005, San Joaquin’s support for Phil Angelides, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the anti-union propositions 75 and 76 hovered somewhere between the most liberal and conservative parts of the state. Bounded on three sides by Sacramento, the Bay Area, and the Sierra Foothills, the county is bilingual and largely agricultural, with strongly conservative as well as progressive sympathies.

San Joaquin is also where SEIU 1021 faces some of its toughest challenges as a new local. The county hospital — one of three represented by 1021 — survived this year’s budget cycle but still faces a rocky financial future. And despite a good contract settlement six months ago, county employees still bear the brunt of economic pressures from state and county budget cuts to public services.

A county-wide strike in November 2006 showed how much a display of strength could accomplish, however. Management backed down and signed a deal financing a retiree medical plan that 1021 members would get to choose. At a May meet-and-greet in Stockton, 375 county employees turned out to discuss their next steps.

Strike to Win Health Care

After a year of bargaining, county workers thought they had a good contract last November. Management’s initial offer would have doubled the cost of members’ deductibles, prescriptions, and ER visits. Under the five-year deal, however, SEIU members got reduced co-pays and deductibles for using county medical facilities, an incentive that would help the county as well by increasing the use of public clinics and hospitals.

Management stalling nearly led to one strike, but when the County reneged and wouldn’t sign the final MOU, SEIU members finally did walk off the job, forcing the County to back down.

The big win from that strike was retiree medical coverage. The County agreed to contribute $2.4 million over three years (with a re-opener at the end) to fund a retiree medical plan that would be selected by SEIU members themselves. At the time, San Joaquin was one of only two counties in the state that refused to insure its own retirees.

“We actually won something that workers everywhere else are losing,” said Donna Shane, who chairs the San Joaquin chapter’s retiree medical committee. “Now we’re looking at how to utilize the funding to get our members the best benefit we possibly can.”

In Sickness and in Health

With retiree medical off the table, the Courts chapter brought bargaining to a swift conclusion in June with a three-year contract that provides a 3-3-3 wage increase, better reimbursement for personal vehicle use, and a real-time differential for qualified court reporters.

There have been significant victories at San Joaquin General Hospital too. The MOU signed early this year prevented layoffs, and a looming budget deficit has been closed for now with funding from the Hospital Trust Fund. When interns and residents in the hospital’s family medicine program learned that their residency program would soon close, they called the Board of Supervisors and saved the program for another year.

In May, members from Ambulatory Care Services arranged meetings with Supervisors Larry Ruhstaller and Ken Vogel. Ruhstaller said he was committed to working with hospital staff to overcome the facility’s ongoing financial problems. A hospital meet-and-greet is planned for July 18, and there have been three forum-style Labor/Management meetings to broaden communication between management and staff.

“Each small step like this takes us forward,” said Shane. “It doesn’t matter if it’s just one step. Enough steps will take us to whatever goal we want to reach.”