Last week, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) into law, securing a historic $1.9 trillion dollars in funding which include direct funding to Americans, a national vaccine program to contain COVID-19, and relief funds to help out working families and get the economy back on track.

The $1.7 billion in funding for local services will be a massive benefit to our members, who are frontline essential workers in schools, public transit, public health, food services, and more. The new funding should help us avoid layoffs and drastic service cuts, as well as support our calls for the safe working conditions fair contracts that SEIU 1021 members deserve.

Make no mistake—the American Rescue Plan is a game-changing victory for our members and our communities. It would not have been possible without the work SEIU members did around the country to turn voters out to the polls last November, as well as the phone calls and text messages to voters in other states in recent weeks urging them to contact their representatives in DC about supporting this bill.

“As the union that represents thousands of frontline essential workers in schools and public services in Northern California, we welcome the passage of the American Rescue Plan by Congress and President Biden. We’ve needed a plan like this since the pandemic began. There are many benefits we will get from the ARP, including support to safely re-open schools, the ability to continue to fight back against COVID through public health resources, and a plan to make vaccines available to everyone,” said Ramsés Teón-Nichols, SEIU 1021 Vice President of Politics. 

In addition to the urgently-needed direct funding to states, counties, and local communities, the ARP will directly benefit the communities of color and low-income families which have been devastated by COVID over the past year. 

The road to recovery for SEIU 1021 members and the American people will be long and uncharted, but the American Rescue Plan is a huge step in the right direction to get our members, families, and communities vaccinated and back on track to thrive.

For more information on the American Rescue Plan, click here.

Click to see a breakdown of funding for communities.

• $7.5 billion for CDC and explicit language for underserved populations for COVID-19-related activities in our communities, including community vaccination centers, mobile vaccination units, and transportation of individuals to facilitate vaccinations, particularly for underserved populations.
   
• $1 billion in funding for vaccine confidence activities through the CDC to increase public trust in the vaccine.
   
• $47.8 billion in funding for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and mitigation activities, establishing and expanding Federal, State, local, and territorial testing and contact tracing capabilities.
   
• $7.6 billion in funding for community health centers to provide vaccination, testing, tracing, and community outreach and education activities related to COVID–19.
   
• $7.6 billion to expand the public health workforce. 

Click to see a snapshot of where the 1.7 billion in funding will be distributed across Northern California.

• San Francisco-Oakland: $1.25 billion
• Berkeley $68.3 million
• Concord: $96 million
• Piedmont city- $2 million
• Albany – $3.7 million
• Emeryville – $2.27 million
• San Leandro – $19.1 million
• Santa Rosa: $28 million
• Antioch: $26 million
• Vallejo: $7 million
• Napa: $4 million
• Fairfield: $3 million
• Petaluma: $2 million
• Vacaville: $800,000
• Livermore: $500,000