Did you know we are about to enter bargaining this spring? The one-year contract that we ratified in late August 2009 will expire June 30, 2010.

Online bargaining surveys are available here.

The survey information will be tabulated and will help guide bargaining this year. Take 20 minutes to fill out the survey asking what bargaining priorities are most important to you.

"As a public service worker, a bargaining team member, a Riverside County resident, a wife and a mother, I'm committed to making this County a better place to live and work. But it starts with you and me filling out a bargaining survey."
Wendy Thomas, Riverside County Communications Supervisor 

 

Click here for the Riverside County Bargaining Survey.   

At a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, March 2, members in the Desert will talk face-to-face with candidates running for Riverside County Supervisor in District 4. This is a chance to meet and select a candidate to endorse that will stand up for public services.

Supervisor John Benoit and Gary Jeandron will attend the March 2 Town Hall. The Fourth District is the largest in Riverside County, spanning Palm Springs to Blythe.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010
6 p.m. - 8 p.m. 
Rancho Las Palmas Resort
41-000 Bob Hope Drive
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

RSVP online by clicking here.

About the Candidates

John Benoit
John J. Benoit was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Nov. 4, 2009 to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, replacing the late Roy Wilson in representing the County's 4th District. Benoit was previously elected to the California State Assembly and the State Senate.

Gary Jeandron
For more than three decades, Gary Jeandron served professionally with the Palm Springs Police Department. He started as a Records Clerk and became Chief of Police 29 years later in 2002. He retired from the Department in 2008. He also served on the Palm Springs Unified School Board of Directors.

Reserve your spot for the town hall by clicking here.

 

At the first-ever Inland Region Vision Conference, members asked one key question: how do we solve the economic crisis and move toward prosperity?

SEIU 721 members brought the greatest minds from the Inland Region including more than 50 elected officials, economic experts and community leaders in late January to address the $10.6 billion hole that is jeopardizing public services, jobs and the region's economic base. 

Public service workers, elected officials and experts expressed support and solutions:

"It's crystal clear that every one of us needs to work together to get out of this. Pitting organizations and labor unions is not in the public's interest and it wastes time, energy and capital." -Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Stanley Sniff

"There has always been an understanding that there must be a contentious relationship between unions and public employers. I'm here to tell you that is not the case. I want to applaud you for finding ways to cuts costs and save jobs." -Jeff Stone, Riverside County Supervisor, District 3

"This was a watershed event. I've never seen anything like it in my life. I want to compliment SEIU for being so inclusive."- Marion Ashley, Riverside County Supervisor, District 5

"There is a message that needs to get out to the State Legislature and that is JOBS, JOBS, JOBS."- John Husing, Economist specializing in the Inland Region's economy

"We're coming together to find solutions during these difficult times. This is a critical moment, as we work to serve millions of residents in the Inland Region."
-Wendy Thomas, Communications Supervisor

"We need to focus on green jobs." - C. Robin Reeser Lowe, Hemet Councilmember and President of the League of California Cities

"I see this economic crisis as an opportunity to rebuild the Inland Empire and focus on education and trade." -Chuck Washington, Temecula City Councilmember

 

Solutions Driving Our Economy Forward 
Members are working on the next steps to stimulate the local economy. One of the obstacles is keeping the state from raiding local government funds that are needed to provide public services.

• Workers propose:
• Form delegations with the League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties, school boards and SEIU members.
• Get politically active: Become a precinct captain.
• Work with the business community to move stimulus money to  develop infrastructure in the I-215 Corridor. 
• Work with regional water districts to develop a plan for current and future water needs.
• Institute efficiency task forces in local government.
• Support SEIU bond reform efforts. 
  

To get involved, contact the SEIU Local 721 Riverside Regional Office at (951) 686-7372.
 

Inland Region members say uniting resources is the answer at Vision Conference.

Inland Region members and elected officials came together Jan. 30 to SEIU Local 721's first annual Vision Conference to address the most difficult issue impacting our community - the economy. The message is clear.

Solutions to drive our economy forward involve a multi-faceted approach, requiring the united resources of cities and counties across the Inland Region, along with the membership support of thousands of SEIU 721 members. 

To view a picture slideshow, click here.  

"We need everybody at the table including unions," said Hemet Councilmember C. Robin Reeser Lowe, who is also the League of California Cities president. 

More than 50 elected officials and dignitaries from all corners of the Inland Region joined about 350 SEIU members at the Moreno Valley Conference Center. Elected officials included Riverside County Board Supervisors Marion Ashley, John Tavaglione, Jeff Stone and John Benoit.

Other attendees included Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Stanley Sniff , Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco, Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge and economist John Husing, who specializes in Southern California's Inland Region economy.   

One of the greatest obstacles local governments face is keeping the state from raiding local government funds that are necessary to provide critical services to our most vulnerable communities, elected officials said. 

To send a strong message to Sacramento and Washington, D.C., members and elected officials proposed initiatives to form a delegation with the League of California Cities, local governments, school boards and members of SEIU Local 721. 

SEIU 721 members are committed to pursuing the solutions discussed at the conference as a way to reenergize the Inland economy and ensure services to the community.

Despite the challenges ahead, SEIU 721 member Wendy Thomas said she is hopeful that the event will lead to positive benefits for the Inland Region.     

"We're coming together as one to find solutions during these difficult times," she said. "This is a critical moment, as we work hard to serve the millions of residents living in the Inland Region."

 

 

 

On Jan. 30, SEIU 721 members will gather with elected officials from across the Inland Region to tackle some of the greatest challenges facing our community. Here is a preview of the panels and speakers. Click here to reserve your spot. Spots are filling up fast!

January 30, 2010
8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center
14075 Frederick St., Moreno Valley 92552
RSVP here!
 

Panel: The Economy and Solutions
Amid financial peril, great opportunities exist to aid the Inland area's ailing economy by supporting fiscal responsibility, efficiencies and job creation, which will ensure stability and growth in a region devastated by foreclosures and job unemployment. Key solutions to helping the economy include implementing efficiencies in local government, building a business-based infrastructure and engaging in bond reform. Panelists will discuss the current state of the economy and strategies to overcome the current economic crisis.

Scheduled Panelists:
• Dr. John Husing, economist specializing in Southern California's Inland Economy.  
• Chuck Washington, City of Temecula councilman.
• Catherine Eide Nelson, SEIU Local 721 executive board member and public service worker.
• Rose Mayes, executive director of the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County.
 
Panel: Politics in the Crisis
In a region with many divergent interests, the economic crisis is a moment to unite in a common goal to help our community. Establishing partnerships with elected leaders, business groups, outreach organizations and labor is a critical component to creating opportunity out of crisis. The current political challenges require a reinvented collaborative effort based in transparency and integrity. Panelists will discuss ways to partner politically in order to benefit the public.

Scheduled panelists:
• John Tavaglione, Riverside County Board of Supervisor for District 2 and member of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Executive Committee.
• C. Robin Reeser Lowe, City of Hemet councilwoman and president of the California League of Cities. 
• Steve Robbins, general manager-chief engineer of the Coachella Valley Water District.
• Frank Corral, City of Riverside public service worker. 

Panel: Uniting to Protect Our Families
The protection of our social safety net faces great challenges to our most vulnerable populations from children to seniors. Social workers, community leaders and outreach experts agree that the delivery of services under strained economic resources makes it more difficult to deliver services to our neediest communities. Panelists will discuss ways to unite resources to protect our families, children and seniors during this difficult time.

Scheduled panelists:
• Dom Betro, president/CEO of Family Service Association of Riverside and former City of Riverside councilman.
• Kevin Luke, Riverside County Children's Social Worker.
• Harry Freedman, executive director of First 5 Riverside.
• Fourth panelist to be determined.

By Tim Burke
City of Hemet Lead Water Distribution Operator

In 2010, my vision is to have a union that better communicates with members, employers and the community through greater involvement.

This is my vision and soon members in the Inland Region will gather on Saturday, Jan. 30, in Moreno Valley to bring all of our visions, hopes and aspirations together as we work to find solutions to the challenges we face.

By being involved with our union, we improve our ability to communicate and send a strong message about who we are, leading to a stronger and more positive union presence in the workplace and the community.
 
Participation is simple, whether it's at your work site, attending union meetings or helping out as Contract Action Team members during negotiations. 

It can mean handling grievances to resolve work place issues or participating in union groups that reach a diverse membership such as our republican, lavender, African-American or Latino caucuses.

In my experience as a union member, communication has been our greatest challenge.
Communication starts with engagement and every member of this union has the opportunity to participate at any level.

By developing strong lines of communication between ourselves as union members, we will have a more successful union. Remember, good communication opens doors, tears down walls and allows us to be heard.

You've heard my vision. Now, what's your vision for a stronger union?

Drawing from the same playbook as last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal would undercut California residents struggling to hang on during the economic downturn.

SEIU 721 members in Riverside County are taking action immediately by hosting a summit Jan. 30 to discuss solutions to the financial challenges we face.

 A Jan. 13 article in the Press-Enterprise highlighted another difficult economic year as Board of Supervisors consider layoffs and early retirement offers to hundreds of employees to close a $71 million budget gap. Read the full story here.

In the article, SEIU 721 bargaining team member Kevin Luke addressed the cuts to services.

"That should be a last resort," said Kevin Luke, a supervisor in the county's Child Protective Services office and a member of the Service Employees International Union.

Luke, a member of the union's negotiating team with the county, said other savings should be considered first.

"What it will do is impact services to the community," he said of job cuts.

The solution, members say, is a multi-faceted approach of combining early retirements, implementing real efficiencies projected to save millions and working on bond reform.

Workers will unite on Saturday, Jan. 30, in Moreno Valley to discuss solutions to the most difficult challenges facing our community. More than 40 political leaders will attend and engage members on issues such as bond reform and working cooperatively on insuring funds meant for counties and cities that are not raided by the state.

RSVP for the Jan. 30 Vision Conference in Moreno Valley.

The 2010 Vision Conference on Jan. 30 is a gathering of members like you: strong, innovative and committed to a brighter future.

"My vision is for SEIU to be a beacon for other unions and their members to look toward. Our determination to seek out equality and fairness for our members will set the example that stimulates other unions to ride our coattails."
Mark Grays, ICU Registered Nurse, Riverside County Regional Medical Center

"My vision is to have a union that better communicates with members, employers and the community through member involvement, which will develop a more productive, stronger and positive union presence in the workplace and community."
Tim Burke, Lead Water Distribution Operator, City of Hemet

A Look Back at 2009 

As we enter a new year, let's not forget about the victories we achieved last year. Here's a look back at the Inland Area's best moments of 2009. Let the countdown begin: