Home Latest News
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.
Solano County Community Stops Pollution-Generating Cement Factory
In 2017 South Vallejo residents learned that VMT/ORCEM was appealing the city’s Planning Commission’s decision to block the corporation’s construction of a cement factory on the waterfront. Because it impacted the communities we serve and live in, our members held a community forum at our Fairfield union hall to learn about the cement factory’s impact on public health and learned about the cement making process’ potential to pollute the air and the bay.
No Hate in Healthcare
Nurses Condemn U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Rule Enabling Discrimination in Healthcare Services
Today nurses, joined by community allies, gathered in front of SF General Hospital’s historic Ward 86—the first dedicated AIDS clinic in the country—to speak out against the Trump Administration’s “conscience in healthcare” rule. The rule allows healthcare providers, insurance companies, hospitals and pharmacies to refuse healthcare based on personal beliefs.
Public Budgets that Lift Up Public Programs and Working Families
As cities, counties, schools, and other public agencies finalize their budgets, workers who provide vital services are speaking out and ensuring that elected officials are prioritizing programs that put working families first.
At budget forums across city, Oakland workers are standing up to tell City Council members that homelessness, affordable housing, and cleaner, safer streets are priorities for everyone who lives and works in the city, and that these problems demand restored staffing and funding levels.
On May Day, Gov. Newsom Walks in the Shoes of Los Rios Community College Workers
On May 1, International Workers Day, Gov. Gavin Newsom worked alongside Brenda Baker, a groundskeeper, and Maria Arambula, a custodian, at American River College. Both Brenda and Maria work for the Los Rios Community College District, and they spoke to the governor on about the struggles facing working people in our state.
Sonoma County Workers Approve New Contract
After many years of contentious negotiations, large-scale actions, and short-term contracts, our Sonoma County members have finally changed the way the County approaches negotiations.
Nurses and Healthcare Workers Sound the Alarm on Short-Staffing, Increased Pressures on Public Health Services Resulting from Rising Income Inequality
SF Healthcare Workers Demand Mayor Breed Invest in Programs and Workforce that Address Complex Mental and Physical Health Needs Stemming from Growing Public Health Crisis
California College of the Arts Staff Vote Overwhelmingly to Join SEIU 1021
On Monday, April 22, California College of the Arts (CCA) non-faculty staff voted overwhelmingly to form their union with SEIU 1021.
Standing Up for a City for All
City Workers, Housing Advocates and Gig Workers March from San Francisco City Hall to Uber Headquarters to Deliver Message for Gig Companies to Stop Shortchanging Public Services
In a city as absurdly rich as San Francisco, there is no reason for thousands of families to be left behind. The City is experiencing unprecedented wealth. Last year alone, city revenues were up to more than $10 Billion.
Workers Speak Out to Stop the Abuse of Temporary, At-Will Workers
On April 4th at SF City Hall, over 75 members of SEIU 1021 and
IFPTE Local 21 lined up for public comment to ask the SF Board of
Supervisors Government Audit & Oversight Committee to stop the
abuse of temporary and exempt workers city workers. Temporary and
exempt workers lack job security, and most workers have fewer
benefits and protections.
Stopping the Privatization of Public Housing
“We’re more than workers of the Housing Authority. Many of us are former residents. This isn’t just a job for us. It’s our community. We owe it to the residents who are struggling to get by to fight for it,” said Carol Homes who works as an eligibility worker at the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) “Handing it over to some private organization isn’t the answer.”
Sonoma County Workers Fight for a Fair Contract
Tuesday, March 12th, hundreds of Sonoma County workers gathered for a rally and swarmed the County Administration building where members of the Board of Supervisors were meeting regarding the contract negotiations.
Oakland Teachers Ratify a Contract and End Historic 7-Day Strike
On Sunday, March 3rd, members of Oakland Educators Association (OEA) voted to approve a contract that gets teachers on the path to better raises and smaller class sizes. The contract ratification ended a 7-day strike that united the community.
Teachers, classified workers, and students continue to speak out against the District’s cuts to programs and staff. Hundreds of students, joined by community allies, filled the Board meeting on March 4th.
Workers Take to the Streets to Disrupt Inequality
Across the country, workers are rising up to hold leaders and corporations to account for starving and dismantling public services and public school districts. In Northern California, our members in San Francisco and Oakland have taken to the streets tofight for working families and our communities.
Highland Hospital Nurse at Tonight’s State of the Union Address
SEIU 1021 member and Highland oncology nurse Maria
Mendoza Sanchez will join Congress tonight at the State of the
Union address . In 2017 Maria was deported by the Trump
administration and torn away from her children. After a grueling
time in Mexico, she applied for a skilled worker visa, and was
recently accepted for return home to the United States.
Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee invited Maria to be her guest
at tonight’s address to bring to light the negative impact of the
Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies.
Mendocino College Workers Stand Up for Community Needs Over Administrators’ Greed
Top college district administrators keep wages down, while inflating their own salaries.
On January 24, Mendocino Lake Community College District (MLCCD)
Classified and Temporary workers picketed at the college campus
in Ukiah to protest unnecessary takeaways, including
workers’ ability to use earned time off in cases of extended
illness or injury.
Top administrators have inflated their own salaries while
trying to hold down wages for faculty and staff, and
replace good jobs with temporary positions
that lack benefits.
Santa Clara University Faculty and Allies Rally Outside the Golden Circle Fundraiser to say “Let Us Unionize. Let us Vote!”
On January 19, 2019 at the San Jose Center for Performing Arts,more than 100 faculty, students and community supporters were outside the black-tie Golden Circle fundraiser in support of SCU adjuncts and lecturers voting on whether or not to join together in a union.
End the Government Shutdown
America is the land of opportunity, a loving and accepting country where families come first and people who are seeking safety in our country are treated with compassion.
SEIU members have rallied from Sacramento to Washington, D.C. to stand up for these values and to call on the President and Congress to respect the priorities of working people and reopen the government.
From LA to Oakland, California is #RedforEd
Yesterday, 32,000 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
teachers went on strike for the first time in nearly three
decades. Walking on rain-soaked picket lines, thousands of
parents, students, and allies joined teachers in our country’s
second-largest school district to speak out
against austerity measures and increased privatization in
our public school system.
Child Care Center to Be Built for SEIU 1021 City Workers
Affordable, Accessible Child Care Plan Moves Forward
During our last contract negotiations, the City tried to go back on its word and informed us that they would not provide the child care center that our contracts, both Citywide and RNs, had included.
We took action to enforce our contracts and hold the City accountable. We filed grievances and, in arbitration, the City was found to have violated our contract.
Nonprofit and Homecare Workers Speak Out and Win
Earlier today dozens of workers who provide care services to seniors, children, people with disabilities, and the homeless testified before the SF Board of Supervisors and moved them to raise wages under the city’s Minimum Compensation Ordinance.