MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 1:00 PM

Press Contacts: Luke Thibault, lthibault@ifpte21.org, 760-534-9958 
Jennie Smith-Camejo, jennie.smith-camejo@seiu1021.org, 510-710-0201

(San Francisco, CA) As the full Board of Supervisors meets to deliberate the City’s budget, frontline city workers from IFPTE Local 21, SEIU Local 1021, and the SF Building Trades will make their case against layoffs impossible to ignore.

Union leaders believe there’s a better way to balance the City’s budget without gutting public services. Union leaders are urging cuts to wasteful private contracts and top-heavy management, and calling for the City to tap into its nearly $1 billion in reserves.

What: “Solidarity break” action on the Rotunda staircase, followed by public comment in the Board of Supervisors meeting
When: Tuesday, June 17 at 1pm
Where: SF City Hall, Rotunda staircase followed by the Legislative Chamber (Room 250)
Who: City workers from IFPTE Local 21, SEIU Local 1021, and the SF Building Trades
Visuals: Workers in union apparel chanting and giving public comment

Sarah Perez, San Francisco City employee and SF vice president for IFPTE Local 21, said: “While Trump works to dismantle public infrastructure nationwide, San Francisco has a choice. We hope the Board of Supervisors will do what it takes to save jobs and services for our city.”

“These cuts threaten San Francisco’s economic recovery,” said Lilli Morales, a contract compliance officer who works for CityBuild, a program that helps San Francisco residents find work in the building trades. “There will be no local hire left.”

“The mayor’s budget will make San Franciscans less safe. He wants to cut staff from fire, public health, emergency management, and homelessness and supportive housing,” said SEIU 1021 San Francisco Vice President Kristin Hardy, who works at SF General Hospital. “There’s a better way.”

Statement from the San Francisco Democratic Party: “We are very concerned about the proposed reduction of city jobs currently held by San Francisco employees. These workers are more than line items on a spreadsheet. They are the human infrastructure of our local government. Their institutional knowledge, specialized skills, and deep commitment to public service are vital to the City’s success.”

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