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Nurses across the country are sharing their stories of empty storage closets and makeshift safety equipment in the fight against COVID-19 on social media. John Pearson, an emergency room nurse from Alameda Hospital in California and SEIU 1021 member, is among those online exposing these hospital shortages and calling for the need for personal protective equipment.

“The scariest thing for us who work at the bedside is having to make life and death choices because we don’t have enough staffing and equipment,” said Pearson.

On March 19, 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-33-20 directing all residents immediately to heed current State public health directives to stay home, except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of essential critical infrastructure sectors and additional sectors as the State Public Health Officer may designate as critical to protect health and well-being of all Californians. 

In accordance with this order, the State Public Health Officer has designated the following list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” to help state, local, tribal, and industry partners as they work to protect communities, while ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security. 

Check out the full list and details below:

The order mandates that school districts use dollars to fund distance learning and high quality educational opportunities, safely provide school meals, and arrange for the supervision of students during school hours

The order requires Department of Education and California Health & Human Services Agency to develop strategies to address equity challenges around internet connectivity, ensure students with disabilities receive specialized education, and safely provide meals

Dear SEIU 1021 member,

Since coronavirus became a global pandemic, our union’s attention has been focused on how to ensure the health, safety, and economic well-being of our members, families, and communities—including many of our members who, in the midst of this crisis, continue to provide crucial services in our communities. 

I know that things are scary now and we’re all disappointed at how unprepared the Federal administration was for this outbreak, so I wanted to outline the steps our local is taking to protect our members and share resources from the California Department of Public Health.

Right now, SEIU 1021 staff and member leaders are working hard to safeguard your health at work by pursuing the following demands:

• Employers must minimize the risk of infection for members.
• Employers must adopt and provide copies of emergency response protocols and plans.
• Employers must bargain over workplace changes and their impact on members.