Monday, February 26, SEIU 1021 members at Marin Housing Authority (MHA) voted to authorize their bargaining team to call a strike, should one become necessary. The strike authorization vote passed unanimously. 

For years, MHA has been replacing union jobs with contractors such as Nan MacKay – an incompetent agency that has been terrorizing residents with faked inspections and false termination notices. Due to the heroic pushback from a coalition of MHA employees, MHA residents, and Marin County taxpayers, MHA’s Board of Commissioners recently agreed to phase out the vast majority of Nan MacKay’s contract over the next 12-15 months. 

While a laudable concession, MHA residents remain underserved – and will remain so as long as MHA continues to remain incapable of attracting employees. 

“When we continue to outsource, we are merely putting a band-aid on the gushing wound that is understaffing,” explained Melanie Raquel, a case manager for Marin Housing Authority. “The Board must not lose sight of our shared vision of bringing work in-house. Union employees know best how to serve our landlord partners and our community’s most vulnerable.” 

MHA residents continue to face demoralizing living conditions. During recent Board meetings, residents have repeatedly pleaded to have their living conditions fixed, involving mold, lack of ventilation, and dubious electrical wiring. 

“I love my job. I don’t want to strike,” said Ceena Ford, a program specialist with Marin Housing Authority. “But MHA’s bad-faith bargaining has left us no choice. We must address the dire staffing crisis that is putting MHA residents in danger.”