Newswire

SEIU 1021
Overview

Newswire

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

Article

Mills College Staff March on the President’s House Demanding a Fair Contract & Just Transition
The college is scheduled to be acquired by Northeastern University this summer, and there have been no guarantees in writing that employees will keep their jobs.

Last Tuesday, March 1, dozens of Mills College staff, faculty, students, and alumnae converged on Holmgren Meadow to make administration hear their demands for a just transition. They started with a festive Mardi Gras-themed gathering, followed by a march to the on-campus mansion of the college president, Elizabeth Hillman, where they led a spirited rally and a candlelight vigil.

Article

Coalition of SF City College Unions Urge Mayor Breed to Support Revenue Measure to Restore, Improve CCSF

Mayor Breed listens to Maria Salazar-Colón at Friday's meeting at City Hall

Friday afternoon, members of the San Francisco City College Revenue Unity Coalition, representing the unions that employees of SF City College (CCSF) belong to, met with SF Mayor London Breed. We introduced a plan to generate the annual $43.7 million they have identified as a gap between current revenue and what is needed to meet the minimum demand for CCSF programs and services.

Article

Oakland Unified School District Members, Community Protest School Closures in Black Communities
Come to the OUSD Board of Education Special Meeting Tues. 2/8 at 5pm to Speak Out

Oakland Unified School District is trying to close as many as 14 schools in Black and brown communities. Hundreds of union members, parents, students, and community members came out Friday afternoon to protest the school closures, and SEIU 1021 OUSD Chapter Vice President Donneva Reid addressed the crowd.

The OUSD Board of Education is holding a special meeting TOMORROW, Tues., Feb. 8, starting at 5pm, at which they will be voting on the school closures.

Article

California College of the Arts Workers Hit the Picket Lines Tomorrow in First Strike at a California Private College Since 1976
Despite administration’s assertions that an agreement is imminent, they have made no real effort to find common ground on their staff’s priorities—and their staff are done waiting patiently after over 2 years of negotiations and violations of labor law

On Tuesday, February 8, California College of the Arts (CCA) will make history in a way administration might not be proud of, as its staff goes on strike in protest of its unfair labor practices. A huge majority of faculty, including adjunct professors and ranked faculty, are expected to honor the picket lines.

Article

Sacramento City Unified School District Transportation Workers Protest Unsafe Working Conditions and Short-Staffing That Endanger Health and Safety of Kids, Staff
The situation has reached a crisis point in recent weeks, with supervisors telling bus drivers who test positive to continue working and putting kids who have tested positive on school buses

As the Omicron variant has ripped through Sacramento, schools that have long been at a tipping point are in a full-fledged crisis. Nowhere have the effects of the latest COVID surge been more acutely felt than among SCUSD transportation workers. These workers were already short-staffed before Omicron hit and now find themselves required to work in conditions that put themselves, their families, the students they transport, and entire school communities at grave risk.

Post

At the Asian Art Museum, members fight back against sexual harassment, transphobia, and bullying

Last year, an SEIU 1021 member, who is using the pseudonym Emily to talk about her experience, took a leave of absence from her job at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco to address their struggle with gender dysphoria. The museum’s values and mission statement claim to prioritize respect, accessibility, and inspiring new ways of thinking by connecting diverse communities to Asian art. However, Emily, a transgender woman of color, was shamefully met with bullying and harassment by her manager Abby Chen.

Post

Fast-food workers celebrate as AB 257, the FAST Recovery Act, passes the State Assembly

In a huge victory for fast-food workers, the California State Assembly today passed the Fast Food Accountability and Standards (FAST) Recovery Act, AB 257. This victory coming out of the lower chamber of the California State Legislature would not have been possible without the fast-food workers putting their lives and livelihoods on the line by striking over three hundred times across California during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Article

As a Public Sector Worker, You May be Eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness!

Under a new policy from the Department of Education, if you work fulltime in the public sector (for a city, county, or other governmental organization or a non-profit that provides a designated public service, including early childhood education and public health), you may be eligible to have your federal student loans canceled. However, you must take action soon: the new policy states that you must apply before October 31, 2022.

Post

San Joaquin County Public Works wins new boots

1021 Workers at the San Joaquin County Public Works Chapter know that a good pair of boots makes or breaks the job. The goal of the Department of Public Works is to provide quality service to the community and to enhance the public’s quality of life by protecting their investment in the County’s. As part of the bargaining process, the Public Works Chapter has continually fought for the highest-quality boots possible. Our members work in underground facilities, on roadways, across bridges, and in waste facilities.

Post

San Joaquin County workers win hero pay

SEIU Local 1021 San Joaquin County Chapter workers have scored a significant victory, as the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted on January 11 to approve a one-time COVID-19 payment for qualifying employees, totaling up to $1,000 each. This victory would not have been possible if members had not organized to put pressure on the Board to acknowledge their ongoing commitment in the face of the pandemic.

Post

Solano Courts workers vote overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract

Superior Court of Solano County workers have voted to ratify their most recent agreement, after securing a number of significant victories for members at the Court.

Included in the new contract are a 6% raise after ratification, followed by a 3% raise in November of 2022. Members also won vacation cash out language, new pay differentials for court reporters that could go as high as 10% depending on the workers’ certification status, and more. 

Solano Court worker Dreighton Palacios had this to say:

Article

City of Hayward Workers Form a Bold Citywide Coalition and Win a Strong Contract for SEIU 1021 Members and Many Others

Suzanne Philis addresses a Hayward coalition rally in front of City Hall.

January 10, 2022: City of Hayward workers came into their latest contract campaign knowing things had to change. The City had allowed some workers to fall behind. In years past, management had even imposed onerous, unfair contract terms on its workforce—a move which was later reversed by a Public Employment Relations Board judge, but which showed clearly their lack of respect for and understanding of the City’s workers.

Article

Holy Names University Adjuncts Secure Strong Tentative Agreement with 45% Raises
Members will vote on contract ratification later this month.

SEIU 1021 members who are adjunct faculty at Holy Names University (HNU) got some good news for the holidays late last month, when their bargaining team reached a strong tentative agreement with university administration after a year and a half of contract negotiations.

The tentative agreement (TA), which adjuncts will vote on later this month, includes 45% raises over the next two and a half years, including a 15% raise starting this month, as well as a host of other improvements adjuncts had identified as priorities for the new contract.

Article

Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District Workers Finally Win a Strong New Contract

The workers of Contra Costra County’s Mosquito and Vector Control District recently voted unanimously to ratify their hard-won new contract, bringing a long campaign to an end. The new three-year contract includes a 1.5% raise and $1,600 signing bonus in the first year, with raises in the second and third years based on the published Consumer Price Index, with a 1% minimum and 4% maximum, to keep these workers from falling behind. The unit’s seasonal aides also received an additional $3 per hour.

Post

SEIU Local 1021 remembers all those who suffered under COVID-19

 SEIU Local 1021 remembers all those who suffered under COVID-19

Dec. 28, 2021: As we enter the third year of the pandemic, the lives and livelihoods of SEIU 1021 members continue to be threatened by the COVID-19 crisis. While the bosses fought to cut corners, SEIU 1021 members stood in solidarity with one another, braving the frontlines of the pandemic as essential workers.