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Workers rally to staff up Alameda County!
Across Alameda County on Friday, 10/21, SEIU 1021 workers took a unity break at 10:21 a.m. to show their solidarity. One of their issues is a staffing crisis that has more than 2,300 county positions unfilled according to the county’s own numbers. As the need for Medi-Cal, CalWORKS, CalFresh, and other services skyrockets and Alameda County’s headcount dwindles, SEIU 1021 workers are united in telling the County Board of Supervisors: “It’s time to staff up Alameda County!”
SEIU 1021 joins families of police shooting victims to call on Interim DA Brooke Jenkins to prosecute SFPD officers who killed their loved ones
On Thursday, October 20th at 10 am, SEIU 1021 members joined the families of police shooting victims Keita O’Neil, Sean Moore, and Luis Gongora Pat at a press conference and rally outside District Attorney Brooke Jenkin’s office. The families of the three victims urged Jenkins to commit to prosecuting the officers, citing civil lawsuits and settlements awarded to the families, as well as independent investigations and disciplinary actions.
East Bay members hit the streets to win for working families
With so many candidates and initiatives on every ballot, sitting down to vote can feel overwhelming. However, our votes are important tools for making our jobs and our communities better. To help make voting simpler, SEIU 1021’s endorsements are listed here and our volunteer opportunities are here.
North Central VP Akbar Bibb on what’s at stake for the region in the Nov. 8 election
Leading up to the November 8 general election, we’re sitting down with SEIU 1021 member leaders across Northern California to talk about what’s at stake for workers like us whose employers are (or are funded in large part by) elected leaders.
This week, we’re talking to North Central Regional Vice President Akbar Bibb about what is top of mind for him as the general election approaches and with many bargaining units in the midst of contentious contract negotiations.
It’s time to make a plan to vote!
Ballots are landing, and Election Day is less than a month away.
With a vital midterm election coming up, SEIU 1021 members have an important opportunity to elect their own bosses, by voting for pro-worker candidates and initiatives. Ballots are already landing in mailboxes now, and it’s every union member’s responsibility to make a plan to vote: filling out the ballot and returning it by mail or by dropping it off in an official drop box. (Find a drop box near you by clicking here.)
Solano County members continue to build momentum with strike school
Four hundred union members, including SEIU 1021, IFTPE Local 21 and now IOUE Stationary Engineers Local 39, came together last Thursday evening at the Joseph Nelson Community Center in Suisun City for strike school.
SEIU Workers Help Secure an Extension of Essential COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 152 to extend COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave to essential workers until December 31, 2022. COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave was previously set to expire on September 30 2022, leaving workers with only the state-mandated three paid sick days as the state faces the possibility of fall and winter surges of the highly transmissible virus.
SEIU 1021 members urge Chico voters to say YES on Measure H
Right now, Chico’s retail tax generates less than half of what it costs to run the city. Chico’s population has grown by nearly 19% in the past 10 years, yet the City has 21 fewer city employees—meaning SEIU 1021 members are doing more with less to serve their community.
The City of Chico works hard to be fiscally responsible while maintaining essential city services. However in recent years, population growth, the Camp Fire, COVID-19, and state mandates have all stressed our City finances, and the City’s budget can’t keep pace.
Solano County workers demand Board of Supervisors “Staff Up” vital resources and services
Throughout the most recent string of Solano County Board of Supervisors meetings, Solano County workers have confronted the governing body to condemn the mismanagement of services and care that harm the county’s tax-paying residents. Along with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21, the SEIU Local 1021 Solano County chapter made public comments during the past several Board of Supervisors meetings, highlighting the vital need to improve county services and care.
Fed-up Mendocino County workers hold pickets in Willits, Ukiah, and Fort Bragg to alert public to administration’s failures
As the San Francisco lawyers negotiating for the County rack up hundreds of thousands in fees, administration stubbornly refuses to address the staffing crisis decimating critical services for the county’s most vulnerable, demanding takeaways
The stench of hypocrisy is in the air, as Mendocino County administration claims it can do nothing to staunch the outflow of its workforce. Many of these workers are paid so far below market rates for stressful positions serving the county’s most vulnerable residents that they can earn more at burger joints. In fact, they are now demanding that their workers accept a 16 percent increase in healthcare costs in exchange for a mere two percent cost of living adjustment (COLA).
Signed, sealed, and delivered: San Joaquin County members approve game-changing contract
After months of contract negotiations, the SEIU Local 1021 San Joaquin County chapter did it. The new 2022 to 2026 contract is signed, sealed, and delivered: it’s ratified. Through eleven bargaining sessions, ongoing “Purple Wednesdays” worksite actions, and countless one-on-one discussions with SEIU Local 1021 San Joaquin County members across the chapter, the contract negotiations between San Joaquin County management and members for the 2022 to 2026 period have finished.
The contract was ratified, with ninety-seven percent voting in favor of ratification.
Felton Institute workers take their fight against union busting to City Hall
Felton Institute workers provide crucial social services to our most vulnerable community members. Years of short-staffing, lack of support, bullying, intimidation, and low pay for frontline staff have led to constant turnover and burnout—all of which impact client services. Meanwhile, Felton’s C-Suite executives report annual salaries over $200,000, with CEO Al Gilbert pocketing over $300,000.
FTC goes after Uber and Lyft for worker misclassification
Multinational ride-hailing and food-delivery corporations such as Uber and Lyft are facing the heat from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after the independent federal agency announced plans to crack down on the exploitation of gig workers, whom the agency said are entitled to protection regardless of their worker classification.
Vote to choose your boss this November!
Most SEIU 1021 members are in the public sector, working for cities, counties, special districts, schools, courts, and other public entities. Since these entities are overseen by elected officials, it’s our job as union members to find and support officials who will support us, our work, and our priorities across Northern California. In Oakland, one such official is City Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas, who is running for re-election now. SEIU Local 1021 has endorsed her, and Felipe Cuevas, the City of Oakland chapter’s president, had this to say about her.
SFUSD members protest persistent payroll problems at school board
Ongoing unresolved problems with SFUSD’s $16.5M+ payroll system EMPowerSF have pushed classified staff to the breaking point–and they made sure the school board got their message.
Keeping public schools running is never an easy job. But for San Francisco Unified School District’s lowest-paid employees, who do everything from keep schools clean to make sure kids get hot meals every day, short paychecks and improperly canceled benefits are making the job unnecessarily stressful–and harming their ability to keep their own families housed, fed, and healthy.
In Oakland and across Alameda County, SEIU 1021 hits the streets to support candidates who support working families
The upcoming election has big implications for working people in the East Bay. Out-of-town billionaires are trying to elect another so-called moderate as Oakland’s mayor and shift the balance of City Council away from the current progressive majority, which has invested in innovative new public safety programs like MACRO and agreed to a historic contract with a 14% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) over three years. One of the progressive leaders on City Council is Oakland District 4’s Sheng Thao, who has long supported SEIU 1021.
Solano County workers take on the Board of Supervisors, demanding management “Staff Up Solano County”
On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, Solano County employees confronted the Solano County Board of Supervisors to condemn the mismanagement of services and care that harm the county’s tax-paying residents. Along with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21, Solano County workers made public comments during the Board of Supervisors meeting, highlighting the vital need to improve county services and care.
Solano County kicks off “Staff Up Solano” campaign with a strong silent action at the latest negotiations meeting
Public-sector workers across Northern California are facing staffing and retention issues, which in turn are impacting the important services they provide. Now, in partnership with IFPTE 21, our members in Solano County are calling attention to the ways that understaffing hurts us all, and in particular the most vulnerable members of our communities.
When Tragedy Strikes, SEIU 1021 Members Must Stick Together
A Message from SEIU 1021 President Theresa Rutherford
Dear SEIU 1021 Member:
Last week a difficult week for Alameda Health System, as two
workers there passed away: Maria Tran, a psychiatric nurse
at John George, and Dr. Jing Mai, a physician resident intern at
Highland. These untimely deaths are terribly sad, and while we
may never fully understand why tragedies like these occur, we
know the effects will be felt in our workplaces and in our
communities for a long time.
Join SEIU 1021 in mobilizing to pass Prop O in SF!
Elections have consequences. And some of the most consequential items on the ballot are not candidates at all.
For example, San Francisco voters will be asked to vote on Proposition O this November. This ballot measure, which SEIU 1021 is sponsoring along with AFT 2121, will raise roughly $45 million a year for City College to provide the programs and wraparound services needed to serve its unique student population.