Search: My Union, 2023

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

Contact: Ian Lee, ian.lee@seiu1021.org, (510) 384-7165

UKIAH, CA – On Friday July 28, 2023, Mendocino County workers represented by SEIU Local 1021 voted to authorize their bargaining team to call a strike, should a strike become necessary. The strike authorization vote passed overwhelmingly, with 92.4% voting yes. 

On Thursday, July 20, Mendocino County workers rallied in the midst of a strike vote to save county services.

Despite total revenue for Mendocino County having increased 44.8% since 2019-2020, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has continued to bargain in bad faith with its employees. In the most recent negotiations, the County suggested that its employees pay more for their healthcare and retirement – an overall pay cut that will further harm the County’s ability to address its staffing crisis.

July 12 was supposed to be payday for San Francisco Unified School District staff. Yet, nearly 1,000 of its lowest-paid, hardworking employees, including lunch servers, nutrition workers, janitors, and clerks who help keep San Francisco schools running every day, did not receive their much-needed checks, instead receiving a last-minute email from the district stating that it was “unable to implement that timeline successfully.” Workers were informed their checks wouldn’t be available until two weeks later, on July 26.

In an urgent rally on Monday, July 17, Asian Health Services healthcare workers joined together to confront a dangerous staffing crisis that is compromising critical health services and putting vulnerable patients at risk. Short staffing has led to excessively long wait times and declining levels of care for patients, impacting vital programs such as dental, membership, and referrals. Patients are facing waitlists of up to six months, with some waitlists containing up to 500 people, and they have reported waiting up to a week just for a referral.

While salaries for the highest paid Marin Water positions of District General Manager and District Council have been allowed to keep up with the consumer price index, the Marin Water Board of Directors has left the frontline workers behind.

Despite total revenue for Mendocino County having increased 44.8% since fiscal year 2019-2020, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors have suggested County employees pay more for their healthcare and retirement – an overall pay cut that will further harm the County’s ability to apply a tourniquet to its staffing crisis. As County workers continue to escalate towards what could be the largest strike Mendocino County has seen in recent history, County workers picketed Tuesday, July 11, outside the courthouse to save county services.  

After months of bargaining with a county administration that refuses to address its staffing crisis — leaving its families, children, and seniors in danger  — SEIU 1021 members at Mendocino County held a strike school on Wednesday, June 28, to educate themselves about their rights and responsibilities should a strike be necessary.