SEIU 1021 members working in the City of Oakland’s parks department had for years been asked to use improperly rated, unsafe equipment to take care of the parks that everyday Oaklanders enjoy. After months of calling out these hazardous working conditions, these city workers had had enough and took action. 

Despite department management insisting that their trailers were sufficient, our members knew that the equipment they were hauling around was over the 9,999-pound limit that their haphazardly built trailers had capacity for. In response, the park equipment operators collectively decided to park the trailers and refuse to use them until management addressed their safety concerns. 

This collective action forced management to act quickly and, after meeting with our members, agreed to formally weigh the trailers. 

On the morning of March 26, the two parties agreed to meet at the commercial equipment scales. To the surprise of city officials and departmental management, our members were correct. It was confirmed that they had been directed to continually haul equipment beyond the capacity of the trailers, which was unsafe for workers and the public alike.

After confirming the weight, the City of Oakland has agreed to order new, safer, properly rated trailers and approved a nearly $10 an hour pay raise for the park equipment operators. While these agreements have been made and are huge wins for our members, the fight is not over yet. Until the new trailers arrive and are in use, the group is still holding strong and refusing to use this unsafe equipment that the city provided them with. 

Demetrius Adams has nearly 20 years of experience as a heavy equipment operator and has been with the City of Oakland for more than 13 years. He said, “One of the greatest things about this city is the people here love their jobs. We have a lot of great, dedicated city workers who are very responsible, and we’re serious about our duty to keep things safe for each other and the public. We’re prepared to stick together and do what it takes to make sure we’re respected and fairly compensated for the work we do.

“In this fight, we took our time and got our facts straight. It was important to talk to all my coworkers and help them understand their value to the city. I feel like wins like these show that our union is gaining momentum and strength, and that’s been a long time coming!”

The City of Oakland contract is set to expire in July of 2025. Before SEIU 1021 begins this contract campaign, the park equipment operators have shown us that the old labor movement saying, ”Direct action gets the goods!” is just as true today as it ever was.