Recently, Asian Health Services workers in the East Bay voted to ratify a great new contract. The chapter rallied around ensuring competitive wages to improve retention, so that they could maintain high-quality staffing providing high-quality services. Asian Health Services is a non-profit providing medical, including dental, and behavioral health services, going beyond individual care to invest in the community’s overall health. Nearly 350 1021 members work there, from Accounting and Billing to frontline medical and mental health service providers and everything in between.

In the end, the team negotiated a three-year deal, with a two-step Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for each of the first two years, totalling three dollars per hour in the first year and four percent in the second year, and a one-step increase of four percent in the third year. The team also brought sick leave eligibility to workers in their probationary period, increased the notice needed before any layoffs, added protections under the Americans with Disability Act, edited contract language around gender identity and more!

Bargaining team members unanimously recommended ratifying the contract, and had a lot to say about the process and outcome. Joelaw Bi is Speciality Mental Health (SMH) Lead who serves as the SMH President, and said, “I am very proud to be one of the members and officers on the bargaining team for SMH’s ten-year anniversary. We aimed at shortening the wage gap and the outcome was impressive. I hope I have made the SMH clinicians proud!”

Linda Bui is a Speciality Mental Health Counselor III, and a bargaining team member, who said, “Thank you to the whole team for the opportunity to serve as one of the bargaining team members. I’m incredibly grateful to have been part of this successful effort. I’ve learned so much throughout this process, and I will carry these lessons forward as I continue advocating for both our clients and our team members. This victory demonstrated the power of solidarity and collaboration!”