On Thursday, September 3, Human Services Agency (HSA) SEIU 1021 members rallied outside their Mission Street office to demand that management address two serious workplace issues: the need for increased jobsite safety through protective plexiglass and adequate workspace. 

HSA union members have raised repeated safety concerns when working with unpredictable and at times violent clients and demanded that management install protective barriers at service counters. They also need more room for clerks, who have also repeatedly raised concerns that their cramped workstations do not provide enough space to do their jobs safely or effectively. 

“Clients have spit on us, and reached over grabbing workers,” said HSA Eligibility Worker Jesse Stanton. “We’re just asking for help so that we can continue to serve the vulnerable people who need help too.”

These issues may look different, but they come down to the same thing: HSA employees deserve a workplace that is designed, staffed, and operated with safety for all in mind. Increased safety measures help ensure workers can keep critical services running for San Francisco.

Multiple efforts have been made to communicate safety concerns, including a safety petition organized by the clerks that was signed by a majority of workers. SEIU 1021 also raised these concerns at a Labor-Management meeting and demanded concrete changes to make our workplaces safer.

The union also submitted an information request to HSA asking for information about reported workplace-violence incidents, investigations, and corrective actions taken.

SEIU 1021 is now following up to find out what safety measures have been implemented to prevent these incidents from happening again.