New hire orientation can be an integral part of starting a new job for an employee. This is where you meet your co-workers, get introductions to the inner workings of an organization, and learn about the perks and benefits of a new position. For new employees at Santa Rosa Jr. College (SRJC), this is where you also get to meet the rockstar representatives from SEIU 1021 who work as part of the welcome team that cultivates relationships with new hires and introduces them to our union.

From the moment a new employee attends orientation, Debra Reidmuller and Marc Rudlin kicks off a series of tailored communications ranging from welcoming new members who signed up on the spot, or long-time employees who just joined, to keeping non-members informed on chapter meetings and updates. Debra, who is a Coordinator of Student Academic Records in Admissions and Records at Santa Rosa Junior College and Member Coordinator on the Classified Executive Council for the SRCJ chapter, also makes sure new employees also receive a digital welcome packet with information like 10 tips to pass probation, the Weingarten rights, union brochures, and a contract sheet containing the contact information for all executive committee members.

“It has been nice that the district has worked with us and supported our efforts to welcome new hires into our union.  Since COVID in our virtual environment, we’ve been able to lead a 30-minute presentation which has been working really well to recruit new members. In these meetings, the team will talk about our experience with the union and I always talk about growing up in a union household with a father who owned a construction company that was unionized.  I share that I grew up knowing that unions were a good thing and I always compare my private sector work vs union work expressing that I feel safer, I have better benefits, and I make more money because I am a union member,” says Debra. 

Through their dedicated and meticulous work, the SRJC chapter has had tremendous success building up their membership as a Chapter and keeping their union strong.