ADVISORY for Wednesday, July 27
Contact: Andrew Baker; 510-679-8420
andrew.baker@seiu1021.org
 
STRIKE: 300 Tenderloin Housing Clinic workers who support 24 of San Francisco’s SRO hotels are set to hit the picket line at 8 am on July 27
After months of bargaining, and without adequate investment in the workforce by city leaders, workers are forced to take this step
 
(San Francisco, CA) Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC) workers are planning a 24-hour strike on Wednesday, July 27 as efforts to secure a new contract with management continue to drag on. Workers have been struggling with years of turnover, burnout, and short-staffing—all of which are fueled by woefully inadequate compensation. As inflation and cost of living in San Francisco continue to climb, workers have scheduled a first-of-its-kind strike at a supportive housing nonprofit.
 
“We’re disappointed that it’s come to this point but we have seen a lack of urgency from management to address the causes of burnout and turnover, which is well within their power. At the same time, we’re still awaiting clarity from the City and County and Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing around proposed funding for badly-needed wage increases,” said Evan Oravec, a Community Organizer at Tenderloin Housing Clinic and the SEIU 1021 Chapter President. “A budget is a moral document, and how San Francisco allocates its resources tells us a lot about the priorities of our elected leaders. Improving our homelessness and supportive housing system starts with investing in the people delivering those services at every level—not only the case managers, but the desk clerks, janitors, and beyond.”

• WHAT: Hundreds of THC workers go on a 24 hour strike
• WHEN: There will be a rally with community allies and supporters on 7/27 at 11 am. This will be the ideal time for 1-on-1 interviews with workers and will have the best visuals. The picket line will be up from 8 am – 8 pm on Wednesday.
• WHERE: Tenderloin Housing Clinic offices at 449 Turk St., San Francisco, CA
• VISUALS: The 11 am rally will have the best visuals of the day. You can expect workers and community allies holding picket signs, wearing union shirts, marching, chanting, and giving speeches. 

 Workers say two things need to happen. First, Randy Shaw and THC management must be transparent with their finances and address staff proposals to improve employee mental health, burnout, and turnover—all of which have an impact on resident services. Second, because THC receives its funding from the City and County, workers are calling on elected leaders to allocate enough money to address wage compaction and provide meaningful wage increases for the entire workforce. 
 
The workers’ positions are supported by a May 2022 report from the City Controller’s office which found that, “Low wage levels have led to difficulty hiring and high turnover, impacting client services and service provider stability. Gaps in staffing can create unsafe environments for participants and staff. Absent action, these challenges will continue to impact service levels, may create unsafe conditions and are likely to impede the implementation of major adopted enhancements, including for homeless services and childcare programs.”
 
Background
THC staff does critical work to keep San Francisco’s homelessness and supportive housing system functioning. They work as desk clerks, janitors, case workers, maintenance staff, and more at 24 of the city’s Single-Room Occupancy hotels (SROs). 
 
Negotiations began with a rocky start. THC made a number of proposals aimed at undermining their employees’ union rather than addressing workplace issues. After a series of informational pickets and a delegation to management, those proposals were taken off the table but management still failed to give adequate responses to the issues being brought by workers.
 
THC workers voted overwhelmingly by over 99% earlier this year to authorize their bargaining team to call for a strike if sufficient progress wasn’t made at the bargaining table. 
 
Typically, wage adjustments for city-funded nonprofit workers are governed by two policy mechanisms—the Cost of Doing Business (CODB) and the Minimum Compensation Ordinance (MCO). The CODB allocation typically provides city-funded nonprofits with an annual funding increase to meet wage and market pressures. The MCO establishes hourly wage level requirements for three sectors of City contract workers: for-profit contractors, nonprofit contractors, and public entities. While both of these policies have historically served a valuable purpose, they have not kept up with the needs of nonprofit workers providing these invaluable community services.