Newswire
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.
Gig workers are fighting for bathroom access and humane working conditions in San Francisco
Gig workers with We Drive Progress are continuing the fight for bathroom access. The campaign over entry to permanent, sanitary, and reliable facilities with adequate toilets for gig workers is looking to take its fight to Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, and other gig companies.
Through a Northern California survey back in December 2021, gig workers told We Drive Progress the inability to access bathrooms while working was one of their most significant issues.
San Francisco City & County workers take their fight against short-staffing to a whole new level
The City and County of San Francisco has a staffing crisis. Decades of cutbacks have contributed to this crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made things worse than ever. Research indicates that the city has over 3,800 unfilled jobs, which forces members to do more with less and has potential impacts on service delivery for residents. Now, as SEIU 1021 members head to the bargaining table this year and the city continues to drag its heels on adequately staffing services, members are looking to turn up the heat on management.
Mills College Staff March on the President’s House Demanding a Fair Contract & Just Transition
The college is scheduled to be acquired by Northeastern University this summer, and there have been no guarantees in writing that employees will keep their jobs.
Last Tuesday, March 1, dozens of Mills College staff, faculty, students, and alumnae converged on Holmgren Meadow to make administration hear their demands for a just transition. They started with a festive Mardi Gras-themed gathering, followed by a march to the on-campus mansion of the college president, Elizabeth Hillman, where they led a spirited rally and a candlelight vigil.
Coalition of SF City College Unions Urge Mayor Breed to Support Revenue Measure to Restore, Improve CCSF
Friday afternoon, members of the San Francisco City College Revenue Unity Coalition, representing the unions that employees of SF City College (CCSF) belong to, met with SF Mayor London Breed. We introduced a plan to generate the annual $43.7 million they have identified as a gap between current revenue and what is needed to meet the minimum demand for CCSF programs and services.
Momentum grows as Starbucks workers across the US get organized
Image courtesy of SB Workers United on Twitter.
In recent months, momentum has been growing among workers at Starbucks locations across the country who are fired up and fighting for a union to have a stronger voice at work.
Oakland Unified School District Members, Community Protest School Closures in Black Communities
Come to the OUSD Board of Education Special Meeting Tues. 2/8 at 5pm to Speak Out
Oakland Unified School District is trying to close as many as 14 schools in Black and brown communities. Hundreds of union members, parents, students, and community members came out Friday afternoon to protest the school closures, and SEIU 1021 OUSD Chapter Vice President Donneva Reid addressed the crowd.
The OUSD Board of Education is holding a special meeting TOMORROW, Tues., Feb. 8, starting at 5pm, at which they will be voting on the school closures.
California College of the Arts Workers Hit the Picket Lines Tomorrow in First Strike at a California Private College Since 1976
Despite administration’s assertions that an agreement is imminent, they have made no real effort to find common ground on their staff’s priorities—and their staff are done waiting patiently after over 2 years of negotiations and violations of labor law
On Tuesday, February 8, California College of the Arts (CCA) will make history in a way administration might not be proud of, as its staff goes on strike in protest of its unfair labor practices. A huge majority of faculty, including adjunct professors and ranked faculty, are expected to honor the picket lines.
Sacramento City Unified School District Transportation Workers Protest Unsafe Working Conditions and Short-Staffing That Endanger Health and Safety of Kids, Staff
The situation has reached a crisis point in recent weeks, with supervisors telling bus drivers who test positive to continue working and putting kids who have tested positive on school buses
As the Omicron variant has ripped through Sacramento, schools that have long been at a tipping point are in a full-fledged crisis. Nowhere have the effects of the latest COVID surge been more acutely felt than among SCUSD transportation workers. These workers were already short-staffed before Omicron hit and now find themselves required to work in conditions that put themselves, their families, the students they transport, and entire school communities at grave risk.
At the Asian Art Museum, members fight back against sexual harassment, transphobia, and bullying
Last year, an SEIU 1021 member, who is using the pseudonym Emily to talk about her experience, took a leave of absence from her job at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco to address their struggle with gender dysphoria. The museum’s values and mission statement claim to prioritize respect, accessibility, and inspiring new ways of thinking by connecting diverse communities to Asian art. However, Emily, a transgender woman of color, was shamefully met with bullying and harassment by her manager Abby Chen.
Fast-food workers turn their eyes to the State Senate
AB 257 - the FAST Recovery Act moves forward
Coming off of last week’s worker-led legislative victory with the California State Assembly passing AB 257 – the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act or FAST Recovery Act - fast-food workers are ready to take the fight for workplace justice to the State Senate.
Fast-food workers celebrate as AB 257, the FAST Recovery Act, passes the State Assembly
In a huge victory for fast-food workers, the California State Assembly today passed the Fast Food Accountability and Standards (FAST) Recovery Act, AB 257. This victory coming out of the lower chamber of the California State Legislature would not have been possible without the fast-food workers putting their lives and livelihoods on the line by striking over three hundred times across California during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a Public Sector Worker, You May be Eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness!
Under a new policy from the Department of Education, if you work fulltime in the public sector (for a city, county, or other governmental organization or a non-profit that provides a designated public service, including early childhood education and public health), you may be eligible to have your federal student loans canceled. However, you must take action soon: the new policy states that you must apply before October 31, 2022.
San Joaquin County Public Works wins new boots
1021 Workers at the San Joaquin County Public Works Chapter know that a good pair of boots makes or breaks the job. The goal of the Department of Public Works is to provide quality service to the community and to enhance the public’s quality of life by protecting their investment in the County’s. As part of the bargaining process, the Public Works Chapter has continually fought for the highest-quality boots possible. Our members work in underground facilities, on roadways, across bridges, and in waste facilities.
San Joaquin County workers win hero pay
SEIU Local 1021 San Joaquin County Chapter workers have scored a significant victory, as the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted on January 11 to approve a one-time COVID-19 payment for qualifying employees, totaling up to $1,000 each. This victory would not have been possible if members had not organized to put pressure on the Board to acknowledge their ongoing commitment in the face of the pandemic.
Fast-food workers take to Sacramento to demand passage of the FAST Recovery Act
Fast-food workers and supporters gathered outside on the steps of the California state capital building in Sacramento to demand that California State Assemblymembers pass Assembly Bill 257 – the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act, or the FAST Recovery Act.