Newswire
Mendocino County workers host strike school
After months of bargaining with a county administration that refuses to address its staffing crisis — leaving its families, children, and seniors in danger — SEIU 1021 members at Mendocino County held a strike school on Wednesday, June 28, to educate themselves about their rights and responsibilities should a strike be necessary.
Shop union for Independence Day!
If you’re enjoying a cookout or other get-together this Fourth of July, don’t forget to shop union! Making the choice to spend your money on union-made products helps support union members just like you.
Hot dogs
- Ball Park (UFCW, IBT)
- Butterball (UFCW, IBT)
- Farmer John (IBT)
- Hebrew National (UFCW, IBT)
- Hormel (IBT)
- Oscar Mayer (UFCW, IBT)
Buns
SEIU 1021 President Theresa Rutherford’s statement on the 6/30/23 Supreme Court decisions:
As you’ve probably heard by now, two devastating decisions were passed down by the United States Supreme Court today that further establish its regressive, harmful attitudes and policies toward the people of this country.
SEIU 1021 members win big from Butte County to Solano County
SEIU 1021 members at the Superior Court of Butte County achieved a significant victory by campaigning and securing a $16,700 retention bonus. Jennifer L. Hunt, an official court reporter from Butte County, emphasized the importance of this achievement: “I work tirelessly to provide our county with the quality record its citizens deserve. We need additional reporters to support our efforts. That can only be accomplished with a competitive wage.”
SEIU 1021 members turn out to support Oakland’s creative budget
Just after 11 p.m., Monday, June 26, Oakland City Council passed its two-year budget.
Starbucks workers at San Francisco Castro District strike to protest company’s alleged Pride restrictions
On Sunday, June 25, Starbucks workers at the San Francisco Castro District store joined at least 3000 other Starbucks workers at more than 150 locations in a nationwide strike to protest the company’s alleged restriction of Pride decorations.
San Francisco Civil Grand Jury confirms what we’ve said for years: It’s time to staff up San Francisco
On Thursday, June 22, 2023, the Civil Grand Jury for the 2022-to-2023 term published its “Time to Get to Work: San Francisco’s Hiring Crisis” report. The report describes how the City and County of San Francisco faces a crisis of excessive turnover and lack of recruitment in programs that address the city’s problems with drug addiction, untreated mental health disorders, and housing insecurity.
Mendocino County workers rally to demand board of supervisors prioritize services and people
The Board of Supervisors continue to fail to address staffing crisis, harming services for Mendocino residents
On the morning of Tuesday, June 20th Mendocino County workers flooded the Mendocino Board of Supervisors’ meeting. The workers were there to demand the Board prioritize people and services in their budget.
Hundreds of SEIU 1021 members gather to celebrate Juneteenth
Hundreds of SEIU 1021 members from around the region came together last Friday, June 16, to celebrate Juneteenth. Juneteenth has long been seen as an important milestone in the struggle for Black liberation in the United States.
Members learn skills to build workplace power at a three-day AFL-CIO Organizing Institute
From June 9 to 11, 2023, forty dedicated union member leaders and organizers from across the country, including seven from SEIU Local 1021, participated in the AFL–CIO Organizing Institute. Over those three days, they learned principles, shared their experiences, and reinforced best practices necessary to build a movement to meet this moment. Participants learned how to build workplace power in a variety of ways.
Bad time to be a bully: Starbucks accused of false allyship, anti-LGBTQIA+ actions
Why is a supposedly progressive company taking down Pride decorations?
While Pride month, a month dedicated to elevating and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and commemorating the 1969 Stonewall riots, is being nationally recognized, Starbucks, a self-proclaimed “ally,” is accused of stifling workers’ freedom of expression and is once again embroiled in a controversy of its own making.
Starbucks workers across the country are reporting pushback to Pride celebrations, from refusing to allow employees to fly Pride flags to even removing Pride decorations.
By celebrating Juneteenth, we honor the struggles of the past & highlight Black excellence
SEIU 1021 members are cordially invited to join us in celebrating Juneteenth this Friday, June 16, from 5:30-9:30 PM with a vibrant event featuring delicious food, captivating music, and a joyful atmosphere in the heart of San Francisco!
Sacramento union leaders create vision for housing & homelessness campaign
Since March 22, 2023, the Sacramento Central Labor Council has been hosting bi-weekly meetings at SEIU 1021’s Sacramento office to discuss Sacramento’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis.
More than 50 rank-and-file union member leaders have been attending, including from AFSCME 3299, California Faculty Association, Firefighters Local 522, Professional Engineers in California Government, UNITE HERE, SEIU 1000, SEIU 2015, SEIU USWW, and SEIU 1021.
Fast-food workers continue to fight back after passing the “FAST Recovery Act”
Only a few months into her job as a Burger King worker in Oakland, Alondra Hernandez faced a violent episode at her workplace. Complaining about his order, a Burger King customer hit the protective plexiglass barrier that separated employees from customers with his fist. The acrylic partition shattered. Bits of glass struck the manager’s forehead. Afraid that she would be attacked next, Hernandez considered running. Instead, she rushed to her bleeding coworker, a task never discussed during her training.
Worker power wins again!
Dixon Unified School District classified employees ratify hard-fought agreement
In another example of workers uniting to achieve victory, Dixon Unified School District (DUSD) classified employees ratified a hard-fought tentative agreement on May 31, with 97% of voting members voting YES.
Following a historic vote to authorize a strike on May 3 and then a rally May 18 at the Dixon school board meeting, where classified staff and allies demanded the district address high turnover and short staffing caused by inadequate wages, the once largely inflexible board seems to have experienced a wake-up call.
California Senate passes SB 779 to strengthen community clinics through improved job training opportunities
May 31, the California State Senate passed SB 779 (Stern), a bill that will empower community clinic workers to strengthen the clinics that provide essential care to one in three Medi-Cal patients. SB 779 aims to help people get job training after the COVID-19 pandemic by updating the way workforce programs are organized and by supporting different types of job training models. These models include employment social enterprises (ESEs) and worker cooperatives.
Mendocino County workers flood Board of Supervisors budget hearings, demanding they prioritize services & people
On Tuesday June 6, 2023, dozens of SEIU 1021 Mendocino County chapter members confronted the Board of Supervisors during their budget hearings. They demanded that the Board prioritize people and services in its upcoming budget.
Gig workers rally to say: Uber and Lyft cannot claim flexibility to deactivate drivers
They also demanded that demand San Francisco International Airport stop its unilateral bans on ride share drivers
On Tuesday, June 6, at 11 am, ride share drivers rallied at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Transportation Network Companies (TNC) Staging Lot 1, calling on Uber Technologies, Inc., and Lyft, Inc., to stop arbitrary temporary or permanent bans from airport driving and unilateral decisions to deactivate workers’ accounts.
Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage event brings community, families together in celebration
Members and their families gathered to honor AAPI culture with fun, food and dance
On Saturday, June 3, hundreds of SEIU 1021 members, their families, and community and member leaders gathered at Snow Park in Oakland to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage and stand in solidarity with healthcare workers and their fight for a $25 minimum wage.
SEIU healthcare workers rally for Senate Bill 525 in Sacramento at state capitol
Healthcare workers in California escalated their support for a crucial piece of legislation last Thursday, May 25, gathering at the state capitol in downtown Sacramento. Spearheaded by state senator Maria Elena Durazo of Los Angeles, the bill aims to establish an unprecedented $25 minimum hourly wage for healthcare employees.
This significant wage increase would not only aid in retaining existing healthcare workers but also attract new professionals to the field, paving the way for a fairer and more sustainable healthcare workforce.