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SEIU 1021
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Looking for stories from our latest weekly SEIU 1021 Newswire? Here you go!

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Gig workers rally to say: Uber and Lyft cannot claim flexibility to deactivate drivers
They also demanded that demand San Francisco International Airport stop its unilateral bans on ride share drivers

On Tuesday, June 6, at 11 am, ride share drivers rallied at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Transportation Network Companies (TNC) Staging Lot 1, calling on Uber Technologies, Inc., and Lyft, Inc., to stop arbitrary temporary or permanent bans from airport driving and unilateral decisions to deactivate workers’ accounts.

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Strength in AAPI Heritage & Power in Unity event brings community together in celebration
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao joined members and their families to honor and uplift AAPI culture

Strength in AAPI Heritage & Power in Unity event brings community together in celebration

On Saturday, June 1, SEIU 1021 members and their families came together for our annual AAPI heritage celebration. The event showcased mesmerizing lion dancers, Korean Samulnori folk dancers, and Chinese fan dancers, as well as heartfelt speeches from union and community leaders and a variety of delicious AAPI cuisine.

The celebration honored the richness and diversity of AAPI heritage and reaffirmed the need for collective action in building power within our community and beyond.

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SEIU healthcare workers rally for Senate Bill 525 in Sacramento at state capitol

Healthcare workers in California escalated their support for a crucial piece of legislation last Thursday, May 25, gathering at the state capitol in downtown Sacramento. Spearheaded by state senator Maria Elena Durazo of Los Angeles, the bill aims to establish an unprecedented $25 minimum hourly wage for healthcare employees.

This significant wage increase would not only aid in retaining existing healthcare workers but also attract new professionals to the field, paving the way for a fairer and more sustainable healthcare workforce.

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Hayward Unified Schools classified workers protest district’s failure to provide affordable healthcare at school board meeting
The district’s failure to make health insurance affordable for its lowest-paid employees is driving a staffing crisis that endangers students and staff alike

Hayward Unified Schools District (HUSD) classified workers – members of SEIU 1021 and AEOTE — rallied again ahead of last Wednesday’s school board meeting demanding affordable healthcare.

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Cal Academy of Sciences workers file petition for union election with NLRB to join SEIU 1021
A supermajority of eligible employees, from biologists to guest experience workers, have signed union authorization cards to join SEIU 1021

Thursday, May 25, workers at the California Academy of Sciences celebrated with a lunch in Golden Gate Park after filing their petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). They presented the NLRB with signed union authorization cards from a supermajority of non-supervisory employees.

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AAPI Heritage Month: Centering Asian American and Pacific Islander voices
24 hours left to RSVP for Here All Year: Celebrating AAPI Heritage With Family! Registration closes Thursday, June 1, at noon

Our Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration continues, and this week we are lifting up another local union leader! We spoke with Evelyn Curiel, industry chair for the City and County of San Francisco. Evelyn will be one of our community speakers at SEIU 1021’s free, family-friendly AAPI celebration for SEIU members and their families on June 3rd at Snow Park in Oakland

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San Francisco Unified Schools classified staff bring heat to negotiations
Recent bargaining sessions have been packed with members eager to share their stories--and make demands

Last Thursday, May 18, when San Francisco Unified School District’s management contract negotiations team came to the table, they got a little more than they’d bargained for. Over 85 rank and file SEIU 1021 SFUSD members, including custodians, nutrition service workers, and clerical staff, showed up and gave them an earful about how the poverty wages the district pays its classified employees, combined with ongoing payroll problems and staffing shortages that make workloads unsustainable, are damaging the district’s schools and students.

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Solano County Health & Social Services members rally for SB 525 and score a victory
SB 525 passed the Senate appropriations committee!

Essential healthcare and behavior health workers – from hospital janitorial staff to security officers, medical assistants, resident physicians, and nursing home caregivers – from Solano County Health & Social Services rallied last Thursday, May 18, in support of legislation that is essential to fixing California’s patient care crisis. Senate Bill 525 by Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) would help California address the field’s staffing crisis by establishing the nation’s first $25 minimum wage for healthcare workers.  

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AAPI Heritage Month: Centering Asian American and Pacific Islander voices
A conversation with union steward president Mariette Shin

As we continue our Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrations, we are lifting up local union leaders! This week we are speaking with Mariette Shin, union steward president of the Marin Municipal Water District chapter. Mariette will be one of our community speakers at SEIU 1021’s free, family-friendly AAPI celebration for SEIU members and their families on June 3rd at Snow Park in Oakland (RSVP HERE).

Article Martha Hawthorne, Climate and Environmental Justice Committee Co-Chair

SEIU 1021 members show up for the Big Oil Resistance Tour

On May 12, 2023, SEIU 1021 members joined the Oakland stop of the Big Oil Resistance Tour presented by the 900 organizations comprising the Last Chance Alliance. The tour began in San Diego, held events in 8 cities including Los Angeles, Ventura, Bakersfield, Oakland, and concluded on May 13 in Sacramento with 1021 members there too!

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Nonprofit workers say: If you want to solve San Francisco’s biggest problems, pay frontline workers a living wage
Workers at city-funded nonprofits say the city’s efforts to tackle the crises of drug addiction, housing insecurity and mental health are hamstrung by short-staffing and turnover caused by low pay

On May 15, 2023, frontline SEIU 1021members employed by nonprofits funded by the City and County of San Francisco rallied on the steps of San Francisco City Hall to call on city leaders to fund cost of living adjustments (COLAs).

The workers say poverty wages are causing excessive turnover and recruitment problems in programs dedicated to addressing the city’s problems with drug addiction, untreated mental health disorders, and homelessness.

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SEIU 1021 members take action for SB 525 in Stockton

Last Wednesday, May 10, healthcare workers rallied in support of SB 525 in Stockton. SB 525 is legislation for a $25 minimum wage for healthcare workers to address the patient care crisis and healthcare workforce shortage. Healthcare workers are burned out and traumatized after the stress of the pandemic and the way healthcare employers disregard staffing needs. Lack of adequate staffing produced tragic results during the pandemic, and healthcare workers are leaving their profession in alarming numbers.

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Dixon Unified Schools classified workers vote to authorize strike
The district’s lowest-paid employees, including paraprofessionals, nutrition service workers, clerical staff, and custodians, are demanding the district take urgent action to address high turnover and short staffing caused by inadequate wages

May 3, the Dixon Unified School District (DUSD) chapter announced the results of votes by members to authorize a strike — a first for this chapter. A large majority of members – who work as paraprofessionals supporting the district’s special-needs students, nutrition service workers who make sure Dixon students get hot meals every day, staff who keep Dixon schools running smoothly, and custodians, campus monitors, grounds and maintenance staff who keep the schools clean and safe, and various other classified staff – voted yes.