Member Spotlight: Meet the Superior Court of Sonoma County Stewards Council and Bargaining Team
A union is only as strong as its members. Thanks to these four awesome member leaders, the SEIU 1021 Superior Court of Sonoma County chapter is showing up to contract negotiations stronger than ever.
Two new additions to the team are Blanca Santillan Castro and Ashley Olazar. They joined the team a couple of months ago and have already completed their first shop steward training. Their new energy and thirst for knowledge will be vital during this year’s critical contract negotiations.
“So far my experience as a new steward for the Court has been a positive one,” said Ashley. “It has been exciting to network with my fellow stewards and negotiations team to bounce ideas off one another. I look forward to taking part in this year’s bargaining and representing my fellow SEIU Court members. There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed to improve the morale of the Court and improve the overall health and happiness of our Court employees, and I am willing to put the elbow grease in to get it done.”
To round out the new stewards, the chapter has Wendell Phillips, who is no stranger to union leadership and is instrumental in ensuring our members at the courts are well-represented, both in bargaining and in the day-to-day of the workplace. The fourth member of the team is Yasmin Mandujano, who is returning as a member of the bargaining team and soon will be rejoining the ranks of stewards. Her dedication and ability to navigate the labyrinthine courts processes and policies make her a highly effective leader.
“This contract negotiations team has some brilliant new steward talent and energy! Having been on the bargaining team for the past decade, I can say it is great to see a group of younger stewards willing to take on the important task of fighting for the future of the union here at the court,” said Wendell. “Every member here at the court should be intensely engaged with negotiations this year, as I believe the outcome of these negotiations will set the tone of ALL future negotiations here at the Sonoma Superior Court.”