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Courts Workers Storm Sacramento
On Tuesday, May 14, court workers from throughout the state met
with fellow SEIU members to talk to elected officials about the
need to continue to devote funds to courts most in
need. Court workers encouraged elected officials to make sure
those who interact with the courts obtain fair,
equitable, and timely access to services. To do this, elected
officials must invest in court hours, staff adequately, and
provide reasonable pay to retain dedicated, experienced
workers.
Sandy Walden, a court reporter at Contra
Costa Courts explained why she and her coworkers
decided to come to Sacramento to speak directly to legislators,
“Elected officials need to hear directly from us and the issues
that confront us everyday. They need to see and hear the people
whose lives they impact with the policies they pass or deny.”
Workers also spoke to elected officials and their staff about
closing the pay gap in the trial court industry. Court reporters
provide a necessary service to our judicial system, maintaining
not only the record, but the sanctity of court proceedings. Court
Reporters, which consists of a predominantly female workforce,
have not received an increase in their statutorily set transcript
rate in 30 years. It is time to close the gender pay gap.
Localwide Treasurer Amos Eaton elected to SCERA Board, adding a third SEIU 1021 member to the retirement association’s leadership
Congratulations to Sonoma County members, including our localwide Treasurer Amos Eaton who handily won his campaign for election to the Sonoma County Employees’ Retirement Association (SCERA) Board last week!
SEIU 1021 classified members overwhelmingly vote to reject Sacramento City Unified School District’s health and safety proposal, request prompt return to the bargaining table
Results poured in on Saturday, April 10 as SEIU 1021 members overwhelmingly voted down the latest health and safety proposal from Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). 92% of voters rejected the deal, giving the bargaining team the authority to call a strike if the necessary provisions to safely re-open SCUSD schools aren’t offered.
At Santa Clara University, adjuncts and lecturers join the increasing wave of working people seeking to join together in a union, in the face of administrative opposition
On Friday, April 9, at 2 p.m., adjuncts and lecturers at Santa Clara University, joined by their supporters, led a march and rally on campus to demand respect as well as a free and fair union election.
Since 2017, non-tenure track faculty at SCU have worked together to form their union with SEIU 1021. Workers are organizing to address the unstable working conditions, inadequate pay, and inequitable and non-transparent decision-making at the university. These efforts have met constant resistance from the university’s administration.
Facing an unprecedented safety and staffing crisis, healthcare workers around Northern California fight back
Long before COVID-19, SEIU 1021 healthcare workers were there for vulnerable patients in our communities—often despite a lack of adequate staffing and other dangerous working conditions. Now that we’re a full year into the worst global health emergency in over a century, many of our healthcare members find themselves working through crisis-level conditions.
SEIU 1021 takes the lead in reimagining public safety by spearheading Oakland’s MACRO program and creating good, union jobs to respond to mental health emergencies
Public safety has many faces. To protect our community and improve conditions for our friends, family, and neighbors who are experiencing mental health issues, Oakland has taken a bold step by creating a new emergency response unit called the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO). This unit will be made up of civilians with medical and mental health training, and these civilians will be SEIU 1021 members.
Hundreds rally to #SaveMills in the wake of a shocking announcement that the doors of the historical women’s college will be shuttered
On March 17, 2021, the Mills College Board of Trustees announced its intention to dismantle the historic women’s college and replace it as an undefined “Institute” on a breakneck two-year timeline. As part of this shocking decision, the school said they would stop granting four-year degrees to students.
A statement from SEIU 1021 Joseph Bryant Condemning Anti-Asian Racism and the Recent Targeted Shootings in Atlanta
“This week, our country saw yet another incident of violence against people of color, as a young man murdered 8 people in Atlanta, including six Asian women in their place of work. While the details of this violence are still coming into focus, make no mistake, these killings did not occur in a vacuum. They took place within the larger context of hatred and violence aimed at members of the API community occurring all across the United States.
San Francisco Newsletter: March 2021
Welcome to the March issue of our new recurring monthly newsletter for SEIU 1021 members in San Francisco. You can read our February issue here, or keep reading below to see recaps of the big fights our members have taken on in the last month.
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.
The Movement to Safely Re-Open Schools Progresses Forward with Vaccination Rollouts and Tentative Reopening Agreements
As the debate around returning to in-person learning in schools rages on, SEIU 1021 members and chapter leaders have been on the ground working with educators and communities in San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento to ensure our members and their families are protected.
The work we helped lead with the Unions of SFUSD led to a tentative agreement with the school district for baseline health and safety standards for students, educators, and families around sanitizing, PPE, testing, ventilation, and the current hot button topic — vaccinations.
San Francisco Newsletter: February 2021
Welcome to the February issue of our new recurring monthly newsletter for SEIU 1021 members in San Francisco. You can read our January issue here, or keep reading below to see recaps of the big fights our members have taken on in the last month.
You’ll also find updates on ongoing campaigns around the city and stories celebrating some of our union’s most recent victories.
After a Virtual Press Conference, Unions of SFUSD Reach a Tentative Agreement on Safety Protocols and Vaccines to Re-Open SF Schools
On Friday, February 5, the Unions of SFUSD, which includes SEIU 1021, United Educators of SF, UASF, and IFPTE Local 21, held a virtual press conference on school re-openings. Workers proposed a pathway for the health and safety protocols that are necessary for a safe return to in-person learning for students, teachers, workers, and SF communities.
VICTORY: SF P103 Per Diem Nurses Win COVID-19 Leave
Nurses are the frontline of defense for our community’s health and have worked tirelessly around the clock to keep our city’s residents safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. When the city rolled out its COVID leave bank last March, however, P103 nurses were not given access to that emergency leave. This was unacceptable, so our union jumped into action.
Video Killed the Radio Star, but Automation May Kill Public Radio Station 91.7 KALW
On Tuesday, January 26, 91.7 KALW staff joined radio hosts and unionized musicians from across the country to speak out at the SFUSD school board meeting against staff cuts and automation at the local station in an attempt to save public radio at KALW. Over the last year, local radio station 91.7 KALW has been making not-so-subtle changes to their live broadcast programming and announcing staffing.
San Francisco Newsletter: January 2021
Welcome to the first issue of our new recurring monthly newsletter for SEIU 1021 members in San Francisco. Keep reading to see recaps of the big fights our members have taken on in the last month, as well as updates on ongoing campaigns around the city and stories celebrating some of our union’s most recent victories.
Making a Difference: Mendocino Members Speak Up and Prevent COVID-19 Vaccines from Going to Waste
When a freezer that was used to store the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a Northern California hospital broke down in early January, hospital officials realized they only had about two hours to administer the more than 800 doses that were stored inside. Our Mendocino County members immediately jumped into action, assisting in the rapid deployment of vaccines to their community. In just two hours, workers were able to get 200 badly needed doses administered.
Friday, January 15: Join a Car Caravan to Support Striking Fast Food Workers
In solidarity with fast-food workers across the nation who are fighting for a $15 minimum wage and a union, our local will be joining the nationwide strike at fast food locations in both Oakland and Sacramento on Friday, January 15. During the pandemic, fast-food corporations have prospered because frontline workers reported to duty despite being denied basic protections from PPE to paid sick leave. The pandemic has only underscored the urgent need for fast-food workers in the state to have a union.
Prop 22 Is Bad for Workers: That’s Why We Are Suing to Strike It Down
Today, January 12, 2021 app workers and members of We Drive Progress and Mobile Workers Alliance, along with consumers and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), filed a lawsuit challenging Proposition 22 for violating our state constitution. Prop 22 should be struck down.
Marin Municipal Water District workers secure a new contract
This month, our members at Marin Municipal Water District overwhelmingly ratified our next contract. Workers were able to secure this agreement because of our strong membership numbers and because we speak with one voice as a union in our political engagement with elected leaders and also with managers at our worksite.