City of Oakland Chapter President Antoinette Blue, an emergency dispatcher, said, “Our democratically elected chapter officers and democratically elected bargaining team are working every day to help our members do their jobs in the safest, smartest ways they can so that Oakland residents get the services they deserve. We do this by enforcing the contract that keeps people safe and able to work productively, and we do this by bargaining a strong new contract, which we’re in the process of doing currently. It’s a sad fact that a few disgruntled mostly former members of our union have opted out of our democratic processes after failing to find people who agree with their anti-union positions. While they spend out-of-town money and deal in personal attacks and fake history, we’ll remain focused on getting our members the best contract and getting Oakland residents the best City services we can.”

SEIU Local 1021 represents more than 2,000 workers across the City of Oakland. They staff libraries and senior and recreation centers, fill potholes, issue permits, inspect buildings, answer 911 calls, make our parks beautiful, welcoming spaces, pick up illegal dumping, teach our infants and toddlers in Head Start, maintain our sewer system, work in non-sworn positions in police and fire, provide non-emergency response services via MACRO, and provide a host of other core services to Oakland residents.