From the Desk of Local 1000 Board Chair Bill Hall

It’s an exciting time for Local 1000.

This week, we launched a month-long effort to meet with our represented employees in their workplace, and I’m already energized by the state workers who are joining us as we ramp up to bargaining a new contract.

Our Regional Organizing Committees (ROCs) have scheduled more than 130 worksite visits in March to talk to you and to build the support necessary to win, and I hope you’ll take the time to meet with your coworkers and Local 1000 ROC stars.

Bargaining begins in April, and by June, we hope to have a good contract that meets the priorities we’ve heard about through town halls and bargaining surveys.

It seems a good time to take a moment and look at the work ahead of us, and to reflect on your involvement in your union and how we must engage with other unions and political leaders to achieve a better life.

In just a week, March 16, we’ll have the first meeting of our Committee on the Future of Local 1000, and they will begin their work on the governance structure of our Union. Just a day later, we’ll hold our first in-person Board of Directors meeting in three years. It’s a 3-day meeting and culminates in a Lobby Day, where we’ll work to build and strengthen our relationships with California’s lawmakers.

In January 2024 our Local 1000 Union election process will begin.  I am determined that every Local 1000 member knows about the election and has an opportunity to vote.  Member participation in the Local 1000 elections is vital to our Union’s future.

I can’t minimize the importance of the November 4, 2024 Election Day. We’ll elect a President, a new Senator to represent California, along with a myriad of statewide and local races … plus a couple of dangerous and deceptive ballot propositions.

These races and ballot propositions can affect our jobs, our families, and our communities, and we’re working to step up our game, growing our political PACs and building alliances with labor organizations and community groups.

We’ve elected labor-friendly candidates and turned back harmful ballot initiatives through the efforts of Local 1000 members like yourself who helped get out the vote and contributed to our Committee on Political Education (COPE) fund.

There’s a lot ahead of us as state workers, Union members, and citizens of California. I’m optimistic that if we do the work, and put in the effort and the time, we have the opportunity to improve our lives, not leave our fate for others to decide.

William (Bill) Hall
Board Chair, SEIU Local 1000
bhall@seiu1000.org