Lots of Local 1000 Leadership News – Your Weekly Update from Board Chair Bill Hall
As we prepare to return to the bargaining table in 2023, Union
membership is more important than ever. Research supports what we
have always known to be true — Unions improve and protect wages
and working conditions for all workers. As a result,
SEIU Local 1000-represented workers have more job safety
protections, more paid leave, and are more secure exercising
their rights in the workplace. As we continue to grow our
membership, a new law — SB 931 — puts real penalties in
place when public employers are undeterred from violating their
employees’ rights to organize. It’s also important to recognize
the role our labor allies at the SEIU State Council and
California Labor Federation played in demanding that the
Legislature provide meaningful consequences for these bad faith
actions.
SB 931 prohibits a public employer from deterring or discouraging
public employees or applicants from becoming or remaining members
of an employee organization. Government Code section 3550
further permits a Union to file a claim at the Public Employee
Relations Board (PERB). And PERB may now issue significant fines
against the employer ($1,000 per affected employee, not to exceed
$100,000) and award attorney’s fees and costs to a prevailing
Union. Together, these new rights leave Local 1000
well-positioned to protect our workers.
I want to recognize the accomplishments of our Union’s elected
Board of Directors at our regularly scheduled meeting December
3rd and 4th. On Saturday, the Board heard
Department presentations in the morning and engaged in our Human
Rights Committee meetings in the
afternoon. Sunday began with an Executive
Session and moved the 2023 Budget Finance report and
presentation. The Board of Directors worked
collectively to pass the 2023-operating budget, clear all
business on the agenda, and ratify the selection of the members
of the Committee on the Future of Local 1000.
To help bring cohesive structure and leadership for our
bargaining efforts, the Board of Directors also ratified the vote
of the Bargaining Unit Chairs, approving Vice President for
Bargaining Irene Green as the Master Table spokesperson for our
2023 contract negotiations. Our next scheduled Board
of Directors meeting is in person in Sacramento, March 17-19.
There will also be a hybrid option.
On Monday, December 5, our leadership team – Vice President for
Organizing/Representation Anica Walls, Vice President for
Bargaining Irene Green, Vice President/Secretary-Treasurer David
Jimenez, and myself — with support from our political team —
spent the day developing relationships with key Senate and
Assembly members. We will need their support in our
Contract Campaign.
On Tuesday, I participated in the SEIU State Council Meeting for
the California Healthcare Industry. After listening
and learning about their issues, concerns, and frustrations, I
spoke about the issues our members have working for the State.
These include our nurses, dental assistants, and LVN’s, who work
for lower wages than their private sector counterparts. Many
other issues were also shared, such as being mandated for
overtime, working conditions, and unreasonable employers and
managers. Our Political Department followed up by
securing the support of the California Labor Federation for our
2023 contract negotiations.
On Wednesday, I returned to my state job at Caltrans in
Oakland.
On Thursday, Executive Director Nina Schulman and I spent the
morning moving forward with staff planning related to our 2023
Contract Campaign. The afternoon was spent on a Public
Sector Planning session with SEIU State Council. This
is the first step in making our 2023 contract a top priority.
Finally, on Friday, after leadership development work for myself, we held a meeting with the Contract Campaign Planning Group, followed by an interview for the consultant for the Committee on the Future. VP/Secretary-Treasurer Jimenez and I both agreed on hiring the same consultant after speaking with him for over an hour via Zoom.
I’m very encouraged with the work we are doing. We
have the talent and the leadership needed within our ranks to
build our membership and secure a great contract in
2023.
Together we will succeed.
William (Bill) Hall
Board Chair
SEIU Local 1000