On Saturday, August 17, members from across Northern California came together in Fairfield, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Stockton to prepare for the upcoming SEIU 1021 triennial convention in Sacramento on September 28 and 29, 2024.

Delegates brainstormed and identified and debated the priorities they’d like to see in the core plan for the union’s direction over the next three years. 

They let SEIU 1021 President Theresa Rutherford’s words sink in as she posed the question, “What are your dreams for a better future for working families?” via Zoom to the hundreds of members who gave up three hours of their hard-earned weekend to build a better future together.

Elected union vice presidents and regional directors, with the assistance of union field reps, helped expand on this question by leading the pre-convention meeting through a series of thought-provoking exercises to help members better reflect on their values. Topics ranged from healthcare concerns to climate justice, retirement security, racial and social justice, and beyond. 

As convention delegates discussed issues close to their hearts, they shared personal stories that connected them to the issues they support, which helped others gain a deeper understanding of their fellow members’ priorities. In addition to defining priorities and committing to increasing their efforts to achieve their goals, members worked in solidarity, fostering deeper ties to each other and a renewed sense of shared values and purpose.

The SEIU 1021 triennial convention allows members from different regions and sectors to unite, share experiences, and build solidarity, strengthening the union’s collective voice. This pre-convention meeting exemplified the power of coming together to forge more visibility for critical issues and the importance of having hard conversations to build a stronger, more representative union for all members.

Check out what just a few of the members who attended the meeting on Saturday had to say about the importance of the union and the work members are accomplishing together:

“I am here today because I want to help people learn and be able to raise their voices. To know how the system works so they can raise their voices for themselves and their communities.” - Sofia Sanchez, Napa County Office of Education family support liaison.

“It’s exciting to get in a room with folks who are like-minded and have the same goals for our local. We see that collectively, we have the power to move mountains. We get stronger when we get more members involved, and that’s what the convention is all about.” - Trevor Adams, San Francisco Municipal Transporation Agency parking control officer.

“The union is important to me because my dad actually came from the same union, so it kind of set the foundation for the opportunities that I had growing up, the education that I was able to get, the community we lived in, and now as a father myself,  I want to be able to do the same for my children.” – Juan Castaneda, City of San Ramon maintenance worker.

“Even if you don’t live here, you work here; you have an investment and stake in what happens. You’re choosing your boss. We need to educate the members about what’s at stake and grow our leaders. We need to stop waiting for people to crop up out of nowhere who give a damn about labor and our families, and the work we contribute to this city. We have leaders in this room, at our worksites, and we can see them at these tables fighting for us every single day. We need to back them and push them forward. We need to educate members at chapter meetings. Talk with your coworkers. Engage them. Whether you feel the same ideology-wise or about morals or values, you’re all in the same workspace; our fights are the same. We’re all fighting to support ourselves and our families in this horrible economic and social climate. We have to start coming together in the little ways we can, which starts in our worksites.” – Alyssa Jones-Garner, San Francisco City & County senior clerk.

“At our pre-convention meeting, I was pleased that there was productive member engagement and deep discussions. I want to keep the momentum going and keep building our power.” – Travis Balzarini, Sonoma County senior programmer analyst.