Newswire
In Alameda County, Management Says “Heroes Work Here” but They Aren’t Acting Like It
On Tuesday, April 26, hundreds of SEIU 1021 members from across Alameda County rallied outside a closed session of the Board of Supervisors to call for the sacrifices of members to be honored. The pandemic has led to an increased need for the vital services that frontline workers provide. Whether we’re called “public servants,” “disaster workers,” or “heroes,” it’s clear that we deserve recognition and that the County must invest in and reward its dedicated workforce.
Thousands of union members march on SF City Hall in honor of International Workers’ Day
The 2022 May Day march recreated the 1934 march down Market Street
On Sunday May 1, thousands of workers from around the Bay Area marched down Market Street from Embarcadero to San Francisco’s Civic Center to commemorate International Workers’ Day in a recreation of the famous 1934 May Day March. The march, which was sponsored by several Bay Area labor councils, concluded with a rally at City Hall.
Contra Costa County workers march on Board of Supervisors to fight understaffing
On Tuesday, April 26, 2202, Contra Costa County workers urged the Board of Supervisors to address Contra Costa’s staffing crisis, as hundreds of workers marched to the Board of Supervisors Administration Building during the regularly scheduled Board meeting. The march included workers who staff the public hospital, clinics, and COVID test sites and workers who maintain the County’s streets, safeguard the environment, and keep the libraries and courts open.
SF nonprofit workers fight for increased funding for services and pay parity for their work
As many of San Francisco’s nonprofit union workers get set to bargain new contracts this year, a unifying problem is emerging across employers and worksites—we need a greater investment in services provided, and we need pay parity between nonprofit and public workers providing similar services.
Sac City Schools Staff Vote by 99.8% to Ratify New Contract
Sacramento City Unified School District classified staff – including school bus drivers, nutrition service workers, instructional aides, custodians, and clerical staff – have voted by over 99% to ratify the tentative agreement they reached April 4 following a strike that shut down schools for eight days.
The agreement, which must be approved by the SCUSD Board of Education, contains significant victories, including:
Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers at Beloved Silicon Valley Institution Santa Clara University File for a Union Election with the National Labor Relations Board
Media Contact: Chris Flink, chris.flink at seiu1021.org, 510.701.9637
The rising tide of unionization comes to higher education in Silicon Valley, hoping to help fix the “gig-ification” of being a college professor.
Santa Clara, California — On Friday, April 22, 2022, adjunct faculty members and lecturers at Santa Clara University (SCU) filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), requesting a formal election process to found a union at SCU. The adjuncts and lecturers have been organizing the union since 2017.
Gig workers speak out about new Uber, Lyft policy making face masks optional
With zero worker input, Uber and Lyft have now made wearing face masks optional for riders and drivers. The ride-hailing companies announced the new policy unilaterally last week, shortly after several significant airlines announced a similar change in policy. The changes come after a federal judge struck down the Biden administration’s mask mandate for airplanes and other public transport methods.
The election is on! Mullissa Willette, the First Vice President of SEIU Local 521, is the choice for public-sector workers.
This year, workers whose retirement benefits are governed by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System will have an opportunity to vote for a new member of the Board of Administration. This is a crucial election, as Board members are responsible for setting employer contribution rates, determining investment asset allocations, providing actuarial valuations, and much more.
As Tax Day Approaches, SEIU 1021 Members Call on Corporations to Pay Their Fair Share
Tax Day is April 18. The day is an opportunity for us to call on corporations to pay the taxes they owe. We live in the richest country on earth. We know we have the resources to provide good schools, affordable housing, and safe communities for everyone. Yet, we are two years into a global pandemic that has devastated communities of color, killed more than 900,000 people across our country, and deeply divided our communities, while corporations are reaping massive profits. Working people are fed up. We are coming together to say: Enough is enough!
CCA Staff, Adjuncts Ratify Contract with Big Improvements
Last week, staff and adjunct faculty at California College of the Arts voted overwhelmingly—by 98% and 96% respectively–to ratify the tentative agreements reached in the wake of a four-day unfair labor practice (ULP) strike February 8-11. The contract is the first for CCA staff, who voted by a supermajority to form a union with SEIU 1021 in 2019, and the second for CCA adjuncts, who formed their union with SEIU 1021 in 2014.
Sac City Schools Classified Staff Went on Strike & Won Big!
Both SEIU 1021 and SCTA reached tentative agreements Sunday evening. The strike is now over.
“When we fight, we win! When we fights, students win!” was the mantra for the eight workdays (and twelve calendar days) of the Sacramento City Unified School District strike. Both classified staff–including school bus drivers, nutrition service workers, custodians, instructional aides, maintenance workers, and clerical staff–and teachers represented by Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA) went on strike starting March 23.
Rising gas prices underscores the need for gig workers to unionize
With rising gas prices comes heating tensions. Already struggling with the effects of California’s Proposition 22 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, gig workers for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, and beyond face a new obstacle: the gas pump.
Strike Update: SCUSD Shows Up to Bargaining with SEIU 1021 Unprepared; Refuses to Negotiate with SEIU and SCTA at Same Table
SEIU 1021 will be waiting for the District to come back to the table with counterproposals to reach a deal after its meeting with SCTA this afternoon
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Contact: Jennie Smith-Camejo, (510) 710-0201, jennie.smith-camejo@seiu1021.org
San Francisco City workers lead a powerful march down Market St from City Hall
Check us out in the news:
Congratulations to our union’s newest Executive Board members!
A hostile, anti-labor president, a cadre of millionaires and billionaires attacking workers across the country, Janus v. AFSCME, wildfires blazing up and down California, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, a continuing onslaught of police brutality and white supremacy, an insurrection to overthrow a democratic vote at the U.S. capital, the last Executive Board of SEIU Local 1021 saw a world turn upside down. Yet, through it all, our union survived.
Oakland Unified School District staff unanimously approve tentative agreement
The new contract will provide much-needed ongoing raises, thousands in one-time payments, and other improvements
Last week, SEIU 1021 members at Oakland Unified School District voted on a tentative agreement that will provide meaningful ongoing raises; thousands in one-time payments for all members, including part-timers; COVID safety protections on the job; and more contract improvements. Members voted by 100% to approve the TA.
San Joaquin County Human Services Agency Workers fight back and win a realistic caseload
San Joaquin County Human Services Agency Eligibility Workers understand the demanding conditions they face. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the turnaround time for caseload management was quickly becoming unrealistic. Now, the pandemic has revealed truths about how our workplaces run. That is why having a member-led union that fights for all workers at the workplace is vital. Without worker power, our caseload management would be overrun, high-quality patient care would not be delivered, and the health of our community would be at risk.
RNs & healthcare workers blow the whistle on the staffing crisis crippling SF General Hospital
On Thursday, March 10, Registered Nurses and healthcare workers at San Francisco General Hospital held a lunchtime rally to call attention to the staffing crisis that is plaguing city services and impacting patients and residents.
Over 100 hospital workers took part in the lunchtime rally, with many grabbing the bullhorn to share personal stories that highlight all of the ways they’ve seen patient care and hospital services suffer as a result of the chronic short-staffing and abuse of temporary workers.
Fast-food workers strike at McDonald’s in Saratoga for better wages and working conditions
On Tuesday, March 8, 2022—also known as International Women’s Day—striking workers from McDonald’s on Prospect Road in Saratoga led a rally protesting the discrimination and retaliation against Seberiana Reymundo, a worker with cancer at the store. They also protested the company’s failure to abide by paid sick leave laws and demanded that state legislators pass AB 257 - the FAST Recovery Act.