While still working on our statewide DLC Tour, I have our report of the week’s events at SEIU Local 1000. I have been out at worksite locations across the state, listening to your stories, problems in your worksites, and the expectations you have for our next contract agreement.
DLC Tour
While still working on our statewide DLC Tour, I have our report of the week’s events at SEIU Local 1000. I have been out at worksite locations across the state, listening to your stories, problems in your worksites, and the expectations you have for our next contract agreement.
DLC Tour
- The Vice Presidents and I were visiting worksites again this week and working with local DLC Leadership and Stewards to build membership in Local 1000.
- Congratulations are due to Vice President for Organizing / Representation Anica Walls, who, with the help of staff, was the leader in nonmember signups for the week.
- More events are planned to continue over the next three weeks as we make our way to worksites in the Bay area and Northern California.
Communication
- As part of our plans for the future, we are evaluating new strategies for communications and politics. Our goal is to ensure that SEIU Local 1000 members are able to stay updated and get involved as bargaining gets nearer, and that we can build on the work we’re doing now to mobilize members during bargaining.
SEIU Local 1000 Delegation in Norway
- The May Revision of the 2022-23 state budget said it may be possible to close three state prisons by 2024-25. The Newsom Administration closed one state prison — Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy — last year, and has been trying to shut a second, California Correctional Institution (CCI) in Susanville, but its closure is tied up in court.
- These closures will affect thousands of SEIU Local 1000 members. We remain committed to opposing these closures to protect these critical union jobs.
- Part of our strategy for protecting these jobs is understanding the best practices in corrections and adapting to prison reforms that are being advanced by the Governor and Legislature. This knowledge helps us more effectively negotiate with the administration and protect our members.
- Like many other unions across the nation, we have teamed with One Voice United. This organization is dedicated to giving union members in correctional institutions a voice in national conversations about corrections and the criminal justice system. It is an organization founded by union members for union members and chaired by Andy Potter, who is also the Chair of the SEIU National Corrections Council.
- This month, a delegation of SEIU Local 1000 members were invited to participate in a working trip to Norway to understand how that nation’s world-renowned correctional system works. The goal: to better equip our union employees to deal with reforms we will likely see here in California, and to give us a seat at the reform table so we can shape proposals that affect our workers. Our delegation includes: VP for Organizing / Representation Anica Walls; VP of Bargaining Irene Green; BU 20 Chair Melissa Vartanian; BU 17 Vice Chair Mary Naidoo; and BU 15 Chair Eric Murray. These members are joining other SEIU delegations that represent corrections staff from Colorado, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and other Corrections unions outside SEIU.
- The trip includes briefings on the history of the Norwegian system, two prison tours, discussing our state’s reform proposals with international experts, and a visit to a corrections employees training academy. Our delegation will be hosted by the union leaders of Norwegian correctional facilities. There will be a film made about the trip, which we will make available to all SEIU Local 1000 members so we all can also learn about this cutting-edge correctional system.
- There is no cost to SEIU Local 1000 for our delegation’s participation. The trip is entirely paid for by One Voice United, including hotels, transportation, airfares, and all business expenses.
- We are sharing this information with you to be transparent about our operations and the activities of your union’s leadership, and are continually working to improve our efforts to bring these matters to your attention on a timely basis.
Finally, I have a correction from my letter last week. Classifications are an important part of our structure with bargaining. Our members who are LVN’s do some work that is similar and overlaps that of Psychiatric Techs, and the Pharmacy Tech’s do some work that is similar and overlaps as well. In fact, many of our classifications have similar or overlapping duties.
Thank you for your support as we build membership and engage with issues in worksites across the state. I look forward to seeing many of you while we continue to make our visits on the DLC Membership Tour!
