Local 1000 of the Service Employees International Union is a
united front of 96,000 working people employed by the State of
California, making Local 1000 the largest public sector union in
California and one of the largest in the country.
Local 1000 represents members who contribute almost $6 billion
dollars to the California economy and who work in more than 1400
worksites in California, Texas, New York, Chicago and Hawaii. We
also fight to ensure that state workers…and all workers…are
treated fairly and respectfully in the workplace, and are
protected from unsafe work conditions.
A Movement for Social and Economic Justice
Beyond those traditional labor roles, we believe unions have a
duty to do more for their members than just represent them in
contract negotiations and enforcement.
We believe that our union must be relevant in our members’ lives
beyond the workplace. We stand with them to build communities in
which they can raise healthy and happy families. Whether it’s in
Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, The Inland Empire, Northern
California or the Central Valley, we work side-by-side with
community- and faith-based organizations to build a culture of
optimism and prosperity.
We believe our country is divided by an economic and legal system
that is structured to shift wealth away from the workers who
produce it and to benefit (almost exclusively) those who
capitalize it. That is why we rail against the attacks on Social
Security and public and private pensions that would take away
earned, secure retirement benefits, would transform them into
risky 401(k)’s and other private investments, and would reward
Wall Street with windfalls while driving an entire generation
quickly into poverty.
We believe that to have prosperous, healthy communities, working
families must make a living wage to support themselves and to
help those around them. That is why we are joining low-wage
workers in their fight to increase the minimum wage to $15 an
hour and to organize a union at their worksites. This fight is
already uniting a diversity of workers–including airport workers,
home healthcare workers, and those who were displaced, replaced
or outsourced in the recent economic recession and recovery.
We also believe that unions joining with other organizations that
share our values can build the power necessary to change things.
Through organization and a united purpose, we can give all
Californians a good life. We can build sustainable communities
that will support good paying jobs. Working with like-minded
individuals and partners, we can build a society that is socially
and economically just.
Most importantly, we believe that these things are worth fighting
for.