Newswire
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.
SEIU 1021 Climate Justice Committee celebrates passage and signing of landmark bills: Senate Bills 1314 and 1137
Great news! Two bills have been successfully passed through the California state legislature and have been signed by Governor Newsom to help make progress toward our union’s climate justice goals: Senate Bill 1314, which stops supporting further oil and gas extraction, and SB 1137, which creates new restrictions to protect communities from the pollution and dangers of fossil fuel drilling.
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.
March 5, 2024, Endorsements
Let’s elect pro-labor candidates and pass measures that help our communities!
Each election, SEIU 1021 members endorse candidates who will stand with us as we fight to win strong contracts and protect working standards.
Winning for our members is important. We do this by volunteering in elections and contributing to our Committee on Political Education (COPE) funds.
We urge members to participate in phone banking, canvassing, and other outreach initiatives to help us elect candidates who will fight for us and pass measures that will benefit workers across Northern California.
Click the links below to see what candidates and measures SEIU 1021 members have endorsed for the March 5, 2024 election, and see our upcoming volunteer opportunities here.
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.
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.
Running for the CalPERS Board of Administration, Yvonne Walker fights for pensions and retirement security
In the midst of a hotly-contested political season, there is a race for a vital position that may fly under the radar. Retired members, as of July 1, 2022, of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) have an opportunity to vote for their retired representative seat on the CalPERS Board of Administration. The 13-member CalPERS Board of Administration consists of officers who are elected, appointed, or hold office ex officio. The board of administration is responsible for the management and control of CalPERS.
SF nonprofit workers are making waves across the city
SEIU 1021 members working in San Francisco’s nonprofits provide a range of important services. They work for social services organizations, supportive housing nonprofits, museums, and more. They help feed, educate, heal, and house people. They are there for some of our city’s most vulnerable residents at their most difficult moments—and this year, they’ve shown how belonging to SEIU 1021 allows them to do this life-changing work without being taken advantage of by their employers.
Are you a new and aspiring member leader? Level up with our Internship for Leader Development
Applications for the sixth cohort are open--deadline to apply is Oct. 20!
SEIU Local 1021’s Internship for Leader Development Program is entering its sixth cohort and is looking for energetic and motivated members who are committed to working for social and racial justice and who believe in the value of work, the democratic process, and the importance of public services. This program will train and mobilize members who want to unleash their leadership potential.
North Coast chapters rack up strong new contracts
In a year where many SEIU 1021 chapters have been negotiating new contracts, the North Coast region from Marin County to Del Norte County has been scoring some important wins.
For example, the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) bargaining team, with the help of members’ advocacy and activism, won an impressive 24% wage increase over three years (8% per year starting July 1, 2022), in addition to one-time hazard pay bonuses of $750-1500 and improvements in contract language around non-discrimination, working conditions, layoffs, and more.
Across California, SEIU wins for clinics workers and the communities that depend on them
A huge victory for community clinic workers! For the first time in our state’s history, all community clinic workers will receive $1,000 retention bonuses.
This victory wouldn’t have been possible without the participation and leadership of SEIU clinic workers across California. By uniting and bringing lawmakers’ attention to the struggles we face, we were able to secure this historic investment in workers.
You can check out a list of common questions and answers about the bonuses by clicking here.
Gov. Newsom signs AB 257 into law on Labor Day in major victory for fast-food workers
Fast-food workers win one of the most important pieces of labor legislation since the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
When a mass movement of workers comes together, nothing is impossible. Assembly Bill 257, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act, or FAST Recovery Act, passed the California State Senate last Monday, August 29, 2022. The next day, the California State Assembly re-approved the bill.