The March 5 primary is just around the corner, and it’s an important election for working people – especially for people like SEIU 1021’s public sector and publicly-funded nonprofit workers.

These elections will have significant impacts on the services our members provide and on the communities we serve. Particularly important is the statewide Proposition 1, which, if passed, will put six billion dollars a year into mental health programs and housing.

These elections are a vital opportunity for working people to vote their values and make sure their voices are heard. Ramsés Teon-Nichols, a nonprofit worker and SEIU 1021’s vice president for politics, said, “Living and working in Northern California, SEIU 1021 members see firsthand every day the effects of the billionaire 1% pushing their pro-corporate agenda onto our communities. When the rich are allowed to rig the system, they’re the only ones who benefit.

“That’s why it’s so important for union members to stick together: Only when all of us act as one can we balance the scales and ensure that working people have a chance to build better lives for their families.

“Our Committee for Political Education (COPE) members come together to review the options and candidates and make recommendations. We decide our priorities and choose candidates who will increase economic stability for working people, who will fight on our side to grow services for our communities and create good jobs with strong union contracts for our members. This year, we need to support the candidates in our respective regions, as well as Proposition 1 statewide, which will put much-needed funding into mental health services to help the homeless, improve community services, and benefit our members.”

The full list of endorsements put together by our COPE committee members can be found on our website at seiu1021.org/election2024. If you’re ready, willing, and able to start or increase your COPE contribution, you can do so using the online membership form: join1021.org. (Don’t worry, your dues will not get deducted twice.)

Want to maximize your impact? Get out the vote where you live and/or work! We have plenty of volunteer opportunities to knock on doors, drop literature, and phone bank from home here.