On July 13, workers across the United States came together to demand jobs, care, and justice in a day of action that spanned at minimum 15 US cities. In California, SEIU members held simultaneous events in Oakland and Los Angeles calling for bold, transformative solutions to create an economy and democracy that works for all of us.

“The Build Back Better Plan is a pathway for how we can build up our communities. A just recovery for SEIU Local 1021 would make such an impact. We live in a country with enormous wealth up at the top, while millions suffer. We have the haves and have nots. A just recovery will lift up all, not just the ones up at the top. We cannot go back to the same old, same old before. We have dealt with that before. We need a just recovery, an equitable recovery, a recovery that lifts up everyone,” said SEIU 1021 President Joseph Bryant.

We were joined at today’s rally by SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry, leaders from SEIU Local 2015, area Labor Councils, Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan, San Francisco D6 Supervisor Matt Haney, SF DA Chesa Boudin, and many more. Participants called for the passage of the American Jobs Act, which would invest trillions of dollars into essential services, expand home care for seniors, fund infrastructure, and clean energy, and prioritize racial, economic, and social equity as a guiding principle of government.

“Frontline workers are the ones who have been making sure that we hold government accountable and that we don’t leave anyone unprotected during this pandemic, and we continue to do that work. Frontline workers stood up, showed up, and did the job in spite of the risk, the exposure, and the fear. Now, we are calling on Congress and our leaders in DC to pass the American Jobs Act to invest in workers like us. We provide the critical services our communities need to survive and thrive in our recovery from COVID-19 and that’s what today is all about,” said Theresa Rutherford, SEIU 1021 Vice President of San Francisco.