Despite the recent news predicting a $29 billion state budget deficit, we must focus on our strategic goals in 2023. We’ve set an ambitious plan to grow membership and deliver meaningful change in bargaining and for our Union. To do so, we’ll start 2023 by listening to our represented workers in town halls across the state. We will continue to ask the difficult questions: How do we connect effectively in a teleworking landscape? What do our workers want to invest in our Contract Campaign?

Despite the recent news predicting a $29 billion state budget deficit, we must focus on our strategic goals in 2023. We’ve set an ambitious plan to grow membership and deliver meaningful change in bargaining and for our Union. To do so, we’ll start 2023 by listening to our represented workers in town halls across the state. We will continue to ask the difficult questions: How do we connect effectively in a teleworking landscape? What do our workers want to invest in our Contract Campaign? And how do we best engage with our workers and labor allies to ensure we’re able to leverage strategic opportunities?

We have real work ahead of us, but I believe we can be successful if we work together.

  • On January 7, 2023, your Local 1000 Board of Directors met for the third time in a little over four weeks. The Special Board meeting was called to decide the two disciplinary charges concerning suspended President Richard Louis Brown.  In a decision that is final, ninety percent of your Board in attendance upheld all recommendations from our independent hearing officer to remove Brown from office. 
     
  • To focus on our Contract Campaign, we have brought on two limited-term staff.  I am happy to welcome Hannah Nyguen as our Campaign Director.  Hannah has valuable experience and past success with the first contract for Colorado State Employees and the Statewide California Child Care organizing. We have also engaged Elizabeth Buchanan — an experienced union communications expert — to focus on Contract Campaign communications work and expand our current capabilities.
     
  • Our Bargaining Team has established a plan to move forward beginning with the Town Hall meetings — both in-person and virtual — and a new Bargaining Survey. Leadership is encouraging your participation, so please keep an eye out for more announcements.
     
  • Bargaining in a deficit cycle is not the only challenge we face. As part of the state workforce, we face other adversities as well, beginning with the California Business Alliance’s plans to move a ballot initiative that prevents the Legislature from raising revenues or creating new funding streams that would fill revenue shortfalls.  Limiting the ways the Legislature can address downward economic cycles makes it much more difficult to address revenue downfalls, and ultimately can impact your wages and benefits — as state worker salary funding games are viewed as a quick and easy fix for budget holes. Meanwhile, on the federal level, a pilot program to privatize Medicare is underway.  If Medicare is privatized the public will lose control and accountability, and retirees will most likely receive less service at an increased cost.
     
  • We have established the members of our Committee on the Future of Local 1000 and brought on Kurt Edelman as consultant to work with and guide the team.  The committee will examine the governance structure of Local 1000 and conclude the committee work at the end of June with recommendations to be considered for adoption at the September Board Meeting.

Our new year’s resolutions — to grow our membership and our strength at the bargaining table — depend on you. We must work together to grow together. Let’s start now.

Thank you for your support,

 

 

 

William (Bill) Hall
Board Chair, SEIU Local 1000
[email protected]