With the Riverside County Board of Supervisors faced with the choice of imposing an insulting last, best and final offer on hardworking public servants or agreeing to a reasonable MOU recommended by the neutral Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) fact finder, we took our case directly to them during their Tuesday meeting.
County supervisors first heard from the County’s chief negotiator, anti-worker attorney Edward Zappia. Zappia told the board to dismiss the PERB recommendation, which includes modest raises for all county workers and a removal of nearly all takeaways. Instead, Zappia urged the board to implement the repulsive last, best and final.
Additionally, Zappia engaged in classic union-busting tactics, attempting to paint county workers exercising their collective voice to protect vital public services as “harassers.”
After Zappia finished demonizing hardworking county employees, SEIU 721 President Bob Schoonover, California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski, and SEIU 721 representatives urged the board to think twice before moving to impose the county’s last, best and final offer.
Our speakers were joined by members from across Riverside County holding a banner and standing in solidarity. The display of union power surprised the board and we stood tall throughout the hearing.
SEIU 721 representatives recommended that the board adopt the fact finder’s recommendation and outlined the County’s pattern of bad faith bargaining, unfair labor practices and wasteful spending on raises for management and the tens of millions spent on foreign consulting giant KPMG.
Now that both sides have made their case, the board will likely vote on whether to impose the last, best and final offer or to go with the fact finder’s recommendation soon. Our presence was felt today, and we can only make more of an impact on the day of the vote!
Text 721RIVCO to 787-753 to be notified as soon as we know when the vote is happening.