Voices of 2014

Post

“It feels good to step up and serve where I can, and I’m proud of our union’s commitment to the community embodied in our Purpose Statement”.
–Brenda Ferguson, DMV, Sacramento

“Our legal victory follows an organizing victory here. For the first time this group of mostly deaf employees mobilized. We fought back.”
–Zena Anderson, Night Attendant, California School for the Deaf, Fremont

“This [DGS] settlement is another example of what workers can accomplish with a good contract and aggressive enforcement.”
–Maria Patterson, Vice Chair, Bargaining Unit 15

“This demonstrates how we can achieve real gains working through the Joint Labor Committees that Local 1000 bargained for in our contract.”
–Rebecca Celaya, Bargaining Unit 4, 
Health Records Center, South Sacramento

“Unit 11 workers don’t have to choose between finishing their education and working for the state. Now they can do both.”
–Brad Willis, Chair, Bargaining Unit 11

“I want to make sure the stability and security we’ve worked so hard to earn will be there for our families when we need it most.”
–Theresa Taylor, Franchise Tax Board employee & CalPERS Board Member

“We’re all committed to providing help that Californians can rely on, especially those most in need.”
–Irene Livingston, EDD Steward, San Jose

“I became a member activist as soon as I started working, because I wanted to help others in the community obtain state jobs.”
–Robert Bayze, Department of Health Care Services, co-founder of Young DLC

“We aggressively enforced our contract and corrected an issue that frustrated many workers.”
–Brenda Modkins, Chair, Bargaining Unit 1

“The retirement issues of young professionals in their 20s and early 30s may seem far off for a board that is developing a system to help people retire in their 60s, but we are California’s future.”
— Erin Thuston, Department of Social Services

“We built a coalition and took action to help lift thousands of low-wage workers closer to a middle-class life.”
–Dorrie Steadman, CDCR nurse,
Community leader in Raise Up San Diego

“This win should encourage others to stand up and fight against management abuse. If we can win it, they can win it, too.”
–Karen Smith Sayer, Steward, Pelican Bay State Prison