Contra Costa County Mosquito and Vector Control District workers are on the front lines of public health and safety, but they’re facing a real fight with management as they demand a fair contract. On Monday, January 13, more than half the chapter, along with allies from other SEIU 1021 chapters, showed up to a board meeting to tell them what’s been going on and what they need in the workplace.

Chris Doll, an inspector who has worked with the district for 15 years, said, “Management needs to hear what we’re saying. We just want to make this place work smoothly, but every time we speak up, we end up with a huge fight on our hands. I’m not a complainer, but there are things that are so flagrant that I have to say ‘What’s going on here!?’

“Management is trying to eliminate discrimination protections from our MOU and even take away our grievance process. All I can say is, ‘Thank God for our union!’ We’re going to stand tall, and we’re going to keep fighting, because we will not accept a workplace with stubborn, tyrannical management that mistreats us.”

Next up, these 1021 members will be spreading their message, loud and proud, at an industry conference on January 28. The fight continues!