Tuesday, June 17, frontline San Francisco city workers staged a peaceful civil disobedience action to disrupt the Board of Supervisors meeting. The sit-in protest, which halted the meeting for over an hour and a half and in which 11 union members were arrested, was designed to bring attention to the devastating impact that proposed layoffs will have on essential public services, including public health, emergency management, and homelessness services.

Just after 2 p.m., shortly following the meeting’s call to order, workers sat down, occupying the front of the room and began chanting over the deliberations of the Board. 

“I got arrested today fighting to protect public services in San Francisco,” said SEIU 1021 Vice President of Representation Nicole Termini Germain, who is a children’s librarian and branch manager of the Portola Branch Library. “Working in the City’s public libraries, every day I see residents of San Francisco from every walk of life, from affluent moms to unhoused residents. San Francisco city services are crucial for all of them. When the mayor proposes cuts to emergency management, homelessness and supportive housing, public health, and more, it makes everyone less safe. We hope the supervisors will explore the ways we’ve been sharing with the mayor to ensure residents don’t lose the services they depend on.”

“The mayor’s proposed budget cuts vital job training programs, healthcare, and essential services that San Franciscans depend on,” said IFPTE Local 21 President Bianca Polovina. “We know the City has the money to avoid drastic cuts, and we’re calling on every supervisor to do the right thing and stand with us.”

City workers promised to return if necessary, chanting “we’ll be back.”

City unions including IFPTE Local 21, SEIU Local 1021, and the SF Building Trades are calling on the board to reject proposed layoffs and invest in the workforce who provide essential services to San Francisco residents. 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.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED.