Local 1000 Stewards Meet with New State Controller
Free-ranging discussion promises cultural shift at SCO

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On Wednesday, May 13, State Controller Betty Yee met with Local 1000 stewards from her department to talk over their concerns and set a fresh tone of openness and cooperation in her new administration’s relationship with its workers.

Held in the executive conference room of the State Controller’s Office (SCO), the meeting was also attended by Local 1000 President Yvonne R. Walker and Local 1000 Vice Presidents Tamekia N. Robinson and Margarita Maldonado. The hour-long meeting was a free-ranging exchange, and Yee outlined a new strategic vision, promising to work with the union to keep talent as well as to develop upward mobility in the department.

When stewards reported some members feel too intimidated by management to meet with them in their own worksites, Yee responded, “I hear you, and that does have to change. We encourage engagement; we encourage stewards to meet with their members.”

“I am so happy to have a controller who knows the importance of working with labor,” said Theresa Brooks, who works with Yee at SCO and was one of the eight stewards who attended the meeting. Brooks is pleased by what she has seen of Yee’s performance in the first five months of her administration. “She has been committed to resolving whatever workplace issues that we have,” Brooks said.

 

Rebecca Griffiths, another SCO steward who was there, agreed. She

described how Yee attended a Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) meeting soon after being sworn in. “It makes us feel like we’re important to the organization,” said Griffiths of Yee’s interactions, “and that she’s willing to work with us as she develops a relationship with the stewards at SCO.”

 

“She was a phenomenal partner when she was at the Board of Equalization as board chair,” said Vice President of Organizing/Representation Robinson, who worked with Yee there. “I think she will continue to be a great partner at the State Controller’s Office. I look forward to seeing her work with a new group of stewards and foster a relationship with them.”