Search: -09
Results
Oakland Airport Custodians Bring Their Safety and Staffing Demands Straight to the Boss
“Know one thing: Custodians are essential!”
Custodians are standing together to demand an end to understaffing and improved safety in the workplace at Oakland’s International Airport.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, cleaning high-traffic areas absolutely cannot be compromised on, but understaffing is making that impossible at the airport. As Jo’Ell Thompson, a custodian at the Oakland Airport for ten years, said, “We are cleaning contaminated areas, where people who are known to be infected have been, but we’re understaffed and unable to keep the airport properly cleaned.”
The SFUSD Board of Education Rafities the Tentative Agreements Between the Unions of SFUSD and the School District
In a special meeting on Tuesday, February 23, the SFUSD Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the tentative agreements between the school district and SEIU 1021, IFPTE Local 21, and IUOE Local 39 for safely returning to in-person learning. This moment marks a momentous gain in the movement to safely reopen schools for students and workers in SFUSD and lays the groundwork for similar agreements that are sure to come in other school districts across the Bay Area.
Information Systems Coordinator
Northern California (3/1/21)
Summary: Working under the direction of the IT Director, the Information Systems Coordinator is the primary union intelligence staff leader and expert responsible for creating, developing, supervising, and evolving our Union’s Member Resource Center (MRC) union intelligence (UI) system and Local’s Information Systems to resource members, leaders, and staff with critical information, such as reports and dashboards, to effectively carry out our Union’s vision to improve the lives of working people.
Nonprofit workers fight for safety and security
Workers at Larkin Street Youth Services successfully secured funding from the city to bring on 15 new workers who became members of our union. We are now working to extend funding for these jobs beyond the initial year, while also bargaining our next contract.
At Tenderloin Housing Clinic, we successfully pressured the employer to expand access to PPE to keep workers safe, as clients often come in without masks. We also won new thermometer equipment, meaning people entering the offices first have their temperature taken by a machine that gives a reading from a safe distance.
At Progress Foundation, a member went on a leave of absence because her spouse was high-risk for COVID-19 complications. After six months, the employer said they needed to return or have their ongoing absence considered as a resignation. We won a grievance to extend that members’ leave for an additional year.
APALA celebrates Lunar New Year by honoring essential workers
COVID-19 means that Lunar New Year celebrations won’t proceed the same way this year, but Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) members are finding creative ways to celebrate and honor frontline workers.
This year, SF APALA members made a video honoring essential workers everywhere, including those who aren’t as publicly visible. The video will be part of KTVU’s virtual parade on Saturday, Feb 20 at 6 pm. You can also get a sneak peek at this month’s SF Regional Meeting on February 18. Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Need our help with an EEO claim? Let us know!
For years, our union has called for an end to harassment and discrimination by management against our city’s workers. The work we’ve done over the years has begun coming to fruition, as evidenced by William Gould, former National Labor Relations Board President being brought in to review San Francisco’s EEO practices, as well as the creation of the the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy.
Although it is our work that, in large part, has led to these developments, our union is not automatically notified of EEO complaints by DHR.
OEWD member wins over $1,000 in back pay
In December 2019, a member working in San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development filed a grievance over working above their classification without additional pay.
“It was a very scary thing for me to file and I almost didn’t do it,” said the member, who requested anonymity. Just last month, this member received over $1,000 in compensation they were owed for working out of class. “My claim literally took a year, which is crazy but I’m glad it had a positive ending for me.”
Make sure you contact a steward, rep, or the Member Resource Center (1-877-687-1021) if you believe you’re in a situation where you’re working above your classification without appropriate pay.
P103 nurses fight for COVID-19 leave
On Tuesday, January 19, Registered Nurses from San Francisco’s hospitals, clinics, and beyond spoke out at the Health Commission meeting to condemn the ongoing refusal by the city to provide emergency COVID-19 leave to all of San Francisco’s nurses.
When the city rolled out its COVID-19 leave bank last March, they decided that P103 nurses should not have access to that emergency leave. Many P103 nurses often work full-time hours or beyond in in some of the most dangerous work settings, such as the COVID-19 ICU, quarantine hotels, and street testing.
DPH workers lead the charge for a fair, transparent, and equitable plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines
When told vaccinations for frontline workers at Laguna Honda would have to wait until the first two weeks of January 2021, Nebyat Negaci, a 10-year employee at Laguna Honda, was determined to change that.
Last month, frontline workers were told they needed to wait to be vaccinated, despite vaccines being made available to managers not working at the bedside. “I believe if you are ready today then you deserve to take your vaccine today,” said Nebyat, who began organizing to ensure the safety of her unit.
Felton Institute FSA members secure strong new agreement
Members at the Felton Institute Family Service Agency fought and won a new agreement containing strong health and safety provisions and a significant pay increase. Despite the impacts of COVID, we secured a 2% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to the wage scale.
Another big priority for members was winning the ability to donate sick time to colleagues in need whose sick bank may be depleted. Members have now secured the ability to donate up to 37.5 weeks of sick time. Congratulations!