Newswire
San Francisco Civil Grand Jury confirms what we’ve said for years: It’s time to staff up San Francisco
On Thursday, June 22, 2023, the Civil Grand Jury for the 2022-to-2023 term published its “Time to Get to Work: San Francisco’s Hiring Crisis” report. The report describes how the City and County of San Francisco faces a crisis of excessive turnover and lack of recruitment in programs that address the city’s problems with drug addiction, untreated mental health disorders, and housing insecurity.
Mendocino County workers rally to demand board of supervisors prioritize services and people
The Board of Supervisors continue to fail to address staffing crisis, harming services for Mendocino residents
On the morning of Tuesday, June 20th Mendocino County workers flooded the Mendocino Board of Supervisors’ meeting. The workers were there to demand the Board prioritize people and services in their budget.
Hundreds of SEIU 1021 members gather to celebrate Juneteenth
Hundreds of SEIU 1021 members from around the region came together last Friday, June 16, to celebrate Juneteenth. Juneteenth has long been seen as an important milestone in the struggle for Black liberation in the United States.
Members learn skills to build workplace power at a three-day AFL-CIO Organizing Institute
From June 9 to 11, 2023, forty dedicated union member leaders and organizers from across the country, including seven from SEIU Local 1021, participated in the AFL–CIO Organizing Institute. Over those three days, they learned principles, shared their experiences, and reinforced best practices necessary to build a movement to meet this moment. Participants learned how to build workplace power in a variety of ways.
Bad time to be a bully: Starbucks accused of false allyship, anti-LGBTQIA+ actions
Why is a supposedly progressive company taking down Pride decorations?
While Pride month, a month dedicated to elevating and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and commemorating the 1969 Stonewall riots, is being nationally recognized, Starbucks, a self-proclaimed “ally,” is accused of stifling workers’ freedom of expression and is once again embroiled in a controversy of its own making.
Starbucks workers across the country are reporting pushback to Pride celebrations, from refusing to allow employees to fly Pride flags to even removing Pride decorations.
By celebrating Juneteenth, we honor the struggles of the past & highlight Black excellence
SEIU 1021 members are cordially invited to join us in celebrating Juneteenth this Friday, June 16, from 5:30-9:30 PM with a vibrant event featuring delicious food, captivating music, and a joyful atmosphere in the heart of San Francisco!
Sacramento union leaders create vision for housing & homelessness campaign
Since March 22, 2023, the Sacramento Central Labor Council has been hosting bi-weekly meetings at SEIU 1021’s Sacramento office to discuss Sacramento’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis.
More than 50 rank-and-file union member leaders have been attending, including from AFSCME 3299, California Faculty Association, Firefighters Local 522, Professional Engineers in California Government, UNITE HERE, SEIU 1000, SEIU 2015, SEIU USWW, and SEIU 1021.
Fast-food workers continue to fight back after passing the “FAST Recovery Act”
Only a few months into her job as a Burger King worker in Oakland, Alondra Hernandez faced a violent episode at her workplace. Complaining about his order, a Burger King customer hit the protective plexiglass barrier that separated employees from customers with his fist. The acrylic partition shattered. Bits of glass struck the manager’s forehead. Afraid that she would be attacked next, Hernandez considered running. Instead, she rushed to her bleeding coworker, a task never discussed during her training.
Worker power wins again!
Dixon Unified School District classified employees ratify hard-fought agreement
In another example of workers uniting to achieve victory, Dixon Unified School District (DUSD) classified employees ratified a hard-fought tentative agreement on May 31, with 97% of voting members voting YES.
Following a historic vote to authorize a strike on May 3 and then a rally May 18 at the Dixon school board meeting, where classified staff and allies demanded the district address high turnover and short staffing caused by inadequate wages, the once largely inflexible board seems to have experienced a wake-up call.
California Senate passes SB 779 to strengthen community clinics through improved job training opportunities
May 31, the California State Senate passed SB 779 (Stern), a bill that will empower community clinic workers to strengthen the clinics that provide essential care to one in three Medi-Cal patients. SB 779 aims to help people get job training after the COVID-19 pandemic by updating the way workforce programs are organized and by supporting different types of job training models. These models include employment social enterprises (ESEs) and worker cooperatives.
Mendocino County workers flood Board of Supervisors budget hearings, demanding they prioritize services & people
On Tuesday June 6, 2023, dozens of SEIU 1021 Mendocino County chapter members confronted the Board of Supervisors during their budget hearings. They demanded that the Board prioritize people and services in its upcoming budget.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Don’t write them off: The Writers Guild of America enters week three of its industry-wide strike
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