Home Latest News
SEIU 1021 members urge Chico voters to say YES on Measure H
Right now, Chico’s retail tax generates less than half of what it costs to run the city. Chico’s population has grown by nearly 19% in the past 10 years, yet the City has 21 fewer city employees—meaning SEIU 1021 members are doing more with less to serve their community.
The City of Chico works hard to be fiscally responsible while maintaining essential city services. However in recent years, population growth, the Camp Fire, COVID-19, and state mandates have all stressed our City finances, and the City’s budget can’t keep pace.
Solano County workers demand Board of Supervisors “Staff Up” vital resources and services
Throughout the most recent string of Solano County Board of Supervisors meetings, Solano County workers have confronted the governing body to condemn the mismanagement of services and care that harm the county’s tax-paying residents. Along with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21, the SEIU Local 1021 Solano County chapter made public comments during the past several Board of Supervisors meetings, highlighting the vital need to improve county services and care.
Fed-up Mendocino County workers hold pickets in Willits, Ukiah, and Fort Bragg to alert public to administration’s failures
As the San Francisco lawyers negotiating for the County rack up hundreds of thousands in fees, administration stubbornly refuses to address the staffing crisis decimating critical services for the county’s most vulnerable, demanding takeaways
The stench of hypocrisy is in the air, as Mendocino County administration claims it can do nothing to staunch the outflow of its workforce. Many of these workers are paid so far below market rates for stressful positions serving the county’s most vulnerable residents that they can earn more at burger joints. In fact, they are now demanding that their workers accept a 16 percent increase in healthcare costs in exchange for a mere two percent cost of living adjustment (COLA).
Signed, sealed, and delivered: San Joaquin County members approve game-changing contract
After months of contract negotiations, the SEIU Local 1021 San Joaquin County chapter did it. The new 2022 to 2026 contract is signed, sealed, and delivered: it’s ratified. Through eleven bargaining sessions, ongoing “Purple Wednesdays” worksite actions, and countless one-on-one discussions with SEIU Local 1021 San Joaquin County members across the chapter, the contract negotiations between San Joaquin County management and members for the 2022 to 2026 period have finished.
The contract was ratified, with ninety-seven percent voting in favor of ratification.
Felton Institute workers take their fight against union busting to City Hall
Felton Institute workers provide crucial social services to our most vulnerable community members. Years of short-staffing, lack of support, bullying, intimidation, and low pay for frontline staff have led to constant turnover and burnout—all of which impact client services. Meanwhile, Felton’s C-Suite executives report annual salaries over $200,000, with CEO Al Gilbert pocketing over $300,000.
FTC goes after Uber and Lyft for worker misclassification
Multinational ride-hailing and food-delivery corporations such as Uber and Lyft are facing the heat from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after the independent federal agency announced plans to crack down on the exploitation of gig workers, whom the agency said are entitled to protection regardless of their worker classification.
Vote to choose your boss this November!
Most SEIU 1021 members are in the public sector, working for cities, counties, special districts, schools, courts, and other public entities. Since these entities are overseen by elected officials, it’s our job as union members to find and support officials who will support us, our work, and our priorities across Northern California. In Oakland, one such official is City Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas, who is running for re-election now. SEIU Local 1021 has endorsed her, and Felipe Cuevas, the City of Oakland chapter’s president, had this to say about her.
SFUSD members protest persistent payroll problems at school board
Ongoing unresolved problems with SFUSD’s $16.5M+ payroll system EMPowerSF have pushed classified staff to the breaking point–and they made sure the school board got their message.
Keeping public schools running is never an easy job. But for San Francisco Unified School District’s lowest-paid employees, who do everything from keep schools clean to make sure kids get hot meals every day, short paychecks and improperly canceled benefits are making the job unnecessarily stressful–and harming their ability to keep their own families housed, fed, and healthy.
In Oakland and across Alameda County, SEIU 1021 hits the streets to support candidates who support working families
The upcoming election has big implications for working people in the East Bay. Out-of-town billionaires are trying to elect another so-called moderate as Oakland’s mayor and shift the balance of City Council away from the current progressive majority, which has invested in innovative new public safety programs like MACRO and agreed to a historic contract with a 14% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) over three years. One of the progressive leaders on City Council is Oakland District 4’s Sheng Thao, who has long supported SEIU 1021.
Solano County workers take on the Board of Supervisors, demanding management “Staff Up Solano County”
On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, Solano County employees confronted the Solano County Board of Supervisors to condemn the mismanagement of services and care that harm the county’s tax-paying residents. Along with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21, Solano County workers made public comments during the Board of Supervisors meeting, highlighting the vital need to improve county services and care.
Solano County kicks off “Staff Up Solano” campaign with a strong silent action at the latest negotiations meeting
Public-sector workers across Northern California are facing staffing and retention issues, which in turn are impacting the important services they provide. Now, in partnership with IFPTE 21, our members in Solano County are calling attention to the ways that understaffing hurts us all, and in particular the most vulnerable members of our communities.
When Tragedy Strikes, SEIU 1021 Members Must Stick Together
A Message from SEIU 1021 President Theresa Rutherford
Dear SEIU 1021 Member:
Last week a difficult week for Alameda Health System, as two
workers there passed away: Maria Tran, a psychiatric nurse
at John George, and Dr. Jing Mai, a physician resident intern at
Highland. These untimely deaths are terribly sad, and while we
may never fully understand why tragedies like these occur, we
know the effects will be felt in our workplaces and in our
communities for a long time.
Join SEIU 1021 in mobilizing to pass Prop O in SF!
Elections have consequences. And some of the most consequential items on the ballot are not candidates at all.
For example, San Francisco voters will be asked to vote on Proposition O this November. This ballot measure, which SEIU 1021 is sponsoring along with AFT 2121, will raise roughly $45 million a year for City College to provide the programs and wraparound services needed to serve its unique student population.
SF nonprofit workers are making waves across the city
SEIU 1021 members working in San Francisco’s nonprofits provide a range of important services. They work for social services organizations, supportive housing nonprofits, museums, and more. They help feed, educate, heal, and house people. They are there for some of our city’s most vulnerable residents at their most difficult moments—and this year, they’ve shown how belonging to SEIU 1021 allows them to do this life-changing work without being taken advantage of by their employers.
Are you a new and aspiring member leader? Level up with our Internship for Leader Development
Applications for the sixth cohort are open--deadline to apply is Oct. 20!
SEIU Local 1021’s Internship for Leader Development Program is entering its sixth cohort and is looking for energetic and motivated members who are committed to working for social and racial justice and who believe in the value of work, the democratic process, and the importance of public services. This program will train and mobilize members who want to unleash their leadership potential.
North Coast chapters rack up strong new contracts
In a year where many SEIU 1021 chapters have been negotiating new contracts, the North Coast region from Marin County to Del Norte County has been scoring some important wins.
For example, the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) bargaining team, with the help of members’ advocacy and activism, won an impressive 24% wage increase over three years (8% per year starting July 1, 2022), in addition to one-time hazard pay bonuses of $750-1500 and improvements in contract language around non-discrimination, working conditions, layoffs, and more.
Across California, SEIU wins for clinics workers and the communities that depend on them
A huge victory for community clinic workers! For the first time in our state’s history, all community clinic workers will receive $1,000 retention bonuses.
This victory wouldn’t have been possible without the participation and leadership of SEIU clinic workers across California. By uniting and bringing lawmakers’ attention to the struggles we face, we were able to secure this historic investment in workers.
You can check out a list of common questions and answers about the bonuses by clicking here.
Gov. Newsom signs AB 257 into law on Labor Day in major victory for fast-food workers
Fast-food workers win one of the most important pieces of labor legislation since the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
When a mass movement of workers comes together, nothing is impossible. Assembly Bill 257, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act, or FAST Recovery Act, passed the California State Senate last Monday, August 29, 2022. The next day, the California State Assembly re-approved the bill.
After nine months of bargaining and a historic strike, workers at Tenderloin Housing Clinic have ratified a new contract
On Friday, September 2, members of SEIU Local 1021 working at Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC) voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract with management. This ratification comes on the heels of over nine months at the bargaining table, as well as what is believed to be a historic, first-ever strike at a city-funded supportive housing nonprofit.
President Biden’s student loan cancellation is “groundbreaking” for some SEIU 1021 members
Emily Flores works at Oakland’s Highland Hospital as a community health outreach worker in the Care Transitions Program. She helps identify the patients who are most at risk and most in need of help navigating our healthcare system and helps them find resources, programs, and tools to assist them in taking better care of their health. Last week, she got the news that President Joe Biden had taken bold action to address our nation’s student debt crisis.