SEIU 721 members won two big victories this month that illustrates why we use all the tools in the union toolbox to protect working people.

In the City of Los Angeles, a new SEIU 721 report exposing the excessive fees Wall Street banks are charging the city generated major press coverage and a new reform proposal at the L.A. City Council.

In Riverside County, SEIU 721 member leaders, attorneys, and staff won a five-year fight to restore thousands of dollars in back pay for hundreds of county workers improperly denied step increases. They also negotiated a new settlement with county management that will increase all county workers’ pay by an additional 5 to 8 percent over the next two years.

<h4>Big Fights Versus Sweating the Details</h4>

The victory in Riverside County was the culmination of five years of PERB filings, tedious behind-the-scenes legal work and protracted negotiations with county management. It was a unionwide effort that drew on every type of expertise our members and staff have to offer. It shows why we sweat the details and never give up.

The victory in the City of Los Angeles shows why we can’t be afraid to take on big public fights with powerful interests to protect public workers. The bankers who caused the worldwide financial crash have done a masterful job of deflecting responsibility and blaming public employees for the financial problems in local government. But in L.A., we’re changing the picture.

<h4>Using All Our Tools to Win</h4>

As we take on major challenges this year — everything from winning a fair contract in the City of L.A., to defeating a pension roll-back measure in Ventura and organizing contingent faculty in colleges around L.A. — we need to use all the tools at our disposal. Sometimes that means taking on big public fights in local politics and the media; other times, it means patience, attention to detail and sweating the small stuff.

Bob Schoonover, President