Last Saturday, March 11, we completed our final 2023 Bargaining Town Hall in Sacramento. In all, we held seven in-person and another dozen virtual Town Halls. Thank You to all the members who showed up and spoke out for a better contract. I’m equally appreciative of the hard work Vice President for Bargaining Irene Green and the Bargaining Unit Chairs put in to help successfully execute these meetings across the state.
Having said all that, it’s important to remember that the Contract is actually won by you. Your membership, union engagement, and willingness to take action in your respective departments and worksites is key to contract and wage improvements.
Here are a couple more items of note:
- We are not alone in our fight for better wages and working conditions
SEIU Local 99 — which represents more than 25,000 cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, special education assistants, and others — has reached an impasse in its months-long negotiations with the Los Angeles Unified School District over demands for an across-the-board 30% raise — with more for the lowest wage earners. The Union is expected to announce the timing of its three-day walkout at a joint rally with the teachers union Wednesday.
- The Governor is taking a different approach
This year, Governor Gavin Newsom has decided not to give a State of the State speech but instead, take a four-day tour and discuss his goals in less ornate settings than the State House. One of his destinations is San Diego, which Newsom is expected to visit this week. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board lauds the novelty of his approach. In turn, we have a list of issues we hope he can address, not with platitudes, but with policy proposals.
- The Committee on the Future of Local 1000
The first meeting of the Committee on the Future of Local 1000 will be held today, March 16. Friday kicks off with a gathering at the State Capitol for Essential Worker Pay with AFSCME, another union that has not been able to reach an agreement with the State, followed by our first in-person Board of Directors meeting in over two years beginning Friday afternoon and ending on Sunday. Monday, the Board of Directors will participate in a Lobby Day at the Capitol to present our issues — loudly and directly — to our representatives in the State Senate and Assembly.
Finally, I would like to end by reminding everyone that March is Women’s History Month. With everything going on in our lives, I hope we can all take a moment to reflect on how rich that history really is. In my own family, my great-grandmother, Sarah Holmes, was the first woman in the State of New Hampshire to get a driver’s license. Does your family have some similar firsts? But be sure to share them with us at [email protected]
And one more thing … Happy St Patrick’s Day everyone.
William (Bill) Hall
Board Chair, SEIU Local 1000
[email protected]