Newswire
SEIU 1021 President Theresa Rutherford reflects on a significant year for our union
2022 was a big year for our union. I am so proud of the work we did to advance the interests of our members and of working people more broadly while still living and working under the cloud of COVID-19.
The Starbucks organizing momentum reaches the Bay Area amid national strike
What began as one unionizing effort at a Starbucks coffeehouse in Buffalo, New York, has spread across the United States to over six thousand five hundred workers at over two-hundred-fifty corporate-owned Starbucks stores in under one year.
Gig workers continue the fight against the unconstitutional Proposition 22
In August 2021, the Alameda County Superior Court ruled that Proposition 22 violated the California Constitution. On December 13, the California Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the gig corporations’ appeal of that ruling. Out in force were hundreds of gig workers, community supporters, allies, coalition partners, and public officials supporting workers’ rights.
SEIU 1021 Annual Toy Drive Distributes Thousands of Toys to East Bay Families in Fourth Year of Annual Holiday Giveaway
On Saturday, December 17, SEIU 1021 once again hosted our annual holiday toy giveaway for East Bay families. After a successful kickoff and donation drive, we collected more toys than in any of the previous years, filling a school bus with donations that will bring joy and holiday spirit to hundreds of children and their families.
SEIU 1021 honored with an Equity Award at the 20th annual human rights banquet from Human Agenda
On Saturday, December 10, SEIU Local 1021 was honored at the 20th Anniversary Human Rights Awards, receiving a 2022 Human Rights Award from the non-profit Human Agenda organization, which seeks to envision a world in which everyone’s needs are met, to create local institutions that are democratic, cooperative, egalitarian, sustainable, and kind, and to take individual responsibility for embodying the changes we want to see.
SEIU 1021 members welcome new Sacramento City Unified School District board members
The school board meeting on Dec. 15 was packed wall-to-wall with supportive union members
While packed school board meetings usually signal trouble brewing, the mood at the packed Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education meeting last week was festive. SCUSD classified staff — SEIU 1021 members — and educators represented by Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA) filled the room to overflowing to celebrate the induction of three new board members they had knocked on thousands of doors to get elected.
SEIU 1021 and community allies unite to defeat SFPD’s killer robots proposal
Several weeks ago, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to authorize the San Francisco Police Department to deploy remote-control robots that were capable of using deadly force against residents. SEIU 1021 activists, along with racial justice groups, civil rights and civil liberties organizations, LGBTQ organizations, and other unions, jumped into action to oppose this dangerous and scary policy.
Mendocino County Workers Ratify One-Year Contract with Plans to Hold County Accountable for Improved Process & Information Flow for Future Agreements
The new contract, which was approved by over 90% of voting members, includes a 2% cost-of-living adjustment and a one-time $3000 ARPA stipend, as well as larger improvements for certain severely understaffed classifications
SEIU Local 1021 members working for Mendocino County voted by over 90% last week to approve a new one-year contract with the County after almost nine months of contentious negotiations, during which county administration and the Board of Supervisors claimed repeatedly not to know or understand what was available to them in the budget.
SEIU 1021 joins Oakland Mayor-Elect Sheng Thao, IFPTE 21, Hayward USD and YMCA Head Start To Pack School Bus with Toys for Children In Need
***If you know anyone who may be in need of toys this holiday season: the children must be registered to receive a toy. Contact Sandra.Lewis@seiu1021.org or call 510-388-2505. You can also learn more at www.fillabus.org***
On Thursday, December 8, Oakland Mayor-Elect Sheng Thao joined members and leaders of SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, and community allies for our annual holiday toy drive kickoff celebration.
East Bay Unity Event: Let’s celebrate our hard work and successes!
Despite the hardships we’ve endured during the pandemic, we’ve experienced many significant union wins here at SEIU 1021.
If you work in the East Bay, please join your union siblings for a unity party on Thurs., Dec. 15, from 5:30 – 9:30 PM, at Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St., Suite 290, Oakland.
We will have a buffet dinner 5:30-7:00 PM, and our party with prizes, awards, special guests, and a DJ will be from 7:00-9:30 PM.
Staff at Mills College at Northeastern unanimously ratify first contract
Mills adjunct faculty also unanimously ratify new contract with Northeastern
Over two and a half years after voting by 95% to form their union with SEIU 1021, Mills College staff have voted unanimously to ratify their first union contract. In line with their priorities in negotiations, the agreement will provide meaningful improvements for the lowest-paid employees, including bumping the part-time minimum wage from $15 to $17 an hour and establishing a minimum wage of $23.15 an hour for full-time employees — for whom there has not been a minimum wage up until now.
SEIU 1021 welcomes Oakland’s next mayor, Sheng Thao
Wednesday, November 23, SEIU 1021 joined many Oakland residents at City Hall to welcome Sheng Thao as Oakland’s next mayor. Thao is a longtime friend of working people, having served on Oakland City Council for District 4 since 2018 and as City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan’s chief of staff before that.
Low-wage and part-time workers win big with Berkeley’s Fair Work Week Ordinance
On Monday, November 21, 2022, the Berkeley City Council passed an ordinance from Vice Mayor Kate Harrison and the Labor Commission to protect and compensate low-wage and part-time workers at some of Berkeley’s largest employers. The Fair Work Week Ordinance reduces the mental and physical strain of last-minute schedule changes and extreme back-to-back shifts. It requires covered employers to offer part-time workers additional hours before hiring new part-time staff.
SEIU 1021 members help elect Sheng Thao as the next Mayor of Oakland
The dust has settled, and Sheng Thao will be the next Mayor of Oakland. From the moment she announced her candidacy, SEIU 1021 members have been on the front lines doing the work to talk to voters and support her candidacy.
If you’ve been to an SEIU 1021 rally, protest, or picket line in Oakland in recent years, there’s a good chance you saw Sheng Thao there too, standing with us.
SEIU 1021 Lavender Solidarity Committee Stands in Solidarity with LGBTQ Community of Colorado Springs
Club Q, one of only two LGBTQ nightclubs in Colorado Springs, was known as a safe space where members of the local LGBTQ community could let loose and be themselves while dancing the night away. Saturday, in a devastating echo of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy of 2016, that safety was shattered by yet another heavily armed young man with a history of making bomb threats. Five beautiful, promising lives were violently stolen, at least 17 others injured, and irreparable trauma was inflicted upon everyone who was at Club Q that night and all of their loved ones.
Fast food workers go on strike to say “Stop the referendum: come to the table NOW!”
Last Tuesday, November 15, fast food workers across California went on strike and rallied in five cities to demand that major corporations including McDonald’s, Chipotle, Jack in the Box, and Starbucks come to the bargaining table to solve major problems these workers face on the job.
Relationships matter: SF VP Kristin Hardy on why our union gets active in politics
The midterm elections are right around the corner and SEIU 1021 members are fired up to talk to their friends, neighbors, and coworkers about the political candidates we are endorsing in this election. It is crucially important for our union to endorse and support candidates who are committed to the cause of working folks—it’s our opportunity to elect the people who approve our contracts, make decisions about funding our services, and set policies that dictate the future of our communities.
Solano County workers win strong new agreement to staff up county services and invest in workers
On Wednesday, October 19, hundreds of Solano County workers rallied outside the Solano County Government Center to denounce the county administration’s mismanagement of services, highlighting the need for improvements. It was the latest in a series of escalating actions by County workers, who gave speeches on how understaffing of vital worksites on the last day of their contract. Solano County workers have demanded all along that county management show that they value workers’ contributions to this community’s well-being, safety, and future.
When an SEIU 1021 member becomes an elected official: Interview with Sol Jobrack, Stockton City Council Member, District 1
It is often said that we, as public-sector workers, elect our bosses. Having pro-labor candidates run for and win public office is vital, particularly when it comes time for contract negotiations. Who sits across from us at the bargaining table can dramatically change the dynamics of our contract. That is why when someone sitting across from the bargaining team not only has a pro-labor platform but is a union member; it makes all the difference.
SEIU 1021 members say “NO!” to big business trying to buy elections
In Oakland’s mayoral election, voters face a stark set of choices. Unfortunately, big businesses, especially coal businesses, are trying to make those choices less clear by putting huge amounts of money into the election.