Top Stories

Bonuses Arrive

Historic LA County bonuses hit paychecks

Simi Valley Win

City workers secure best new contract in decades

Prop 50 Victory

SEIU 721 and labor coalition powers big ballot win

A time to celebrate the friends, family, and solidarity that energize us

This holiday season, our union family is proving that solidarity shines brighter than the chaos around us. I am deeply grateful for my friends and family, who give me the love, compassion, and support that sustain me. I am equally grateful for you — my union siblings — whose courage and solidarity energize our fight for workers’ rights and social justice every day.

These are uncertain times. We see attacks on workers in both the public and private sectors, assaults on our immigrant neighbors, and attempts to undermine the democratic rights and basic fairness that should be guaranteed to everyone. Too often, hateful rhetoric and anti-worker agendas dominate the headlines and make it feel like our nation is drifting toward a darker, more authoritarian future.

Yet despite it all, you give me hope.

This year, our members have won unprecedented contracts and bonuses, including historic gains for Los Angeles County workers and major improvements in pay, benefits, and working conditions across many employers. Our members also helped pass Proposition 50, defending fair representation and pushing back against efforts to rig our elections.

There is no denying the darkness and the challenges we face. But when we stand together in the labor movement, we can fight back against bully bosses and authoritarians — and win. Whether you are enjoying time off with loved ones or providing vital services to our communities this season, please know how deeply appreciated you are.

In Solidarity,

Around Our Union

SEIU 721 Celebrates Armenian-American Heritage 

SEIU 721’s Armenian Caucus Executive Board proudly represented our union at the sold-out Armenian-American Museum Heritage Gala, celebrating this historic cultural milestone and strengthening our ties with the broader Armenian-American community. The gala raised vital support for the new museum, which will preserve Armenian history and serve as a cultural and educational hub.

SEIU 721 Welcomes Spanish Labor Secretary

SEIU 721 proudly hosted Spain’s Minister of Labour and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, at our Los Angeles headquarters, where the prominent union-backed leader and former labor lawyer shared insights on expanding worker power, collective bargaining, and social protections.

It is official: LA County SEIU 721 members are receiving a historic $5,000 bonus in their November 26 paycheck, the second and final check of the month. This hard‑won bonus is more than extra dollars — it is proof that when working people stand together, we can beat back billionaire‑backed outfits like the California Policy Center, which smeared our raises and bonuses as “reckless” and called public workers “tone deaf” and undeserving.

The California Policy Center — funded by ultra-wealthy donors like Robert Mercer, the Koch network, and the DeVos family — pushed an agenda of austerity and take-backs, hoping to shame LA County workers into settling for less. Instead, our organizing delivered a Tentative Agreement that locks in $7,000 in bonuses, 7% COLAs, a 24% increase in County healthcare contributions over three years, stronger union and grievance rights, and blocks language that would have allowed the County to cut our raises.

SEIU 721 members earned every dollar in this agreement at the bargaining table and in action together. Our victory sends a message to anti-union dark money groups: SEIU 721 members will fight for what we deserve and never back down.

SEIU 721 LAPD Property Officers scored a major grievance win — forcing the department to pay more than $1.08 million in back wages, penalties, and interest after years of improperly underpaying newly hired officers.

Property Officers are the unseen backbone of public safety, cataloging, storing, and tracking evidence and seized property so cases hold up in court and families can reclaim their belongings.

In 2018, the City hired Property Officers at a lower step than advertised. We filed a group grievance, won the case in August 2023, and forced the City to make good on what was owed. After stalling and only making partial “good faith” payments, an arbitrator ordered daily penalties for the unpaid “GAP period,” and every Property Officer ultimately received an additional $26,000 for that time. Sixteen officers received at least $56,000 each. This hard-fought win shows what happens when we stand together and refuse to back down.

SEIU 721 City of Simi Valley members bargain strongest contract in decades

City of Simi Valley members have won their strongest contract in decades, delivering real economic gains for workers and the community they serve. If approved by members and adopted by the City Council, the Tentative Agreement will provide a $1,000 one-time bonus upon Council adoption, a 3% salary increase effective the first pay period after adoption, another 3% in July 2026, and an additional 3% in July 2027. The bargaining team strongly recommends a YES vote.

This hard-fought deal comes after a long and tough campaign that saw members organize multiple informational pickets, pack City Council meetings, and, for the first time since 1979, vote overwhelmingly to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike with 99% support. By standing united and strike-ready, Simi Valley city workers forced the City back to the table and won a TA that will lift up members, their families, and vital services.

SEIU 721 members helped lead the charge to win Proposition 50 on November 4, securing a landmark victory for working people and for a fairer democracy. Building on years of organizing at the ballot box and in the streets, 721 members turned their COPE and field muscle toward Prop 50, tying fair maps to strong contracts and fully funded frontline services.

Alongside SEIU locals statewide, 721 members powered a campaign that made more than 1.2 million calls, knocked on over 150,000 doors and sent more than 1 million get‑out‑the‑vote texts, overcoming billionaire‑funded misinformation and attempts to rig the system against working people. In Los Angeles and Ventura, SEIU 721 activists anchored phone banks, joined weekend canvasses, and partnered with the LA County Federation of Labor and community allies to turn out “Yes on 50” voters.

President David Green rallied volunteers with labor leaders, stressing that Prop 50 is a last‑resort tool to stop election‑rigging schemes targeting working families and communities of color. With this win, SEIU 721 members proved that when workers stand up for democracy, they protect both their communities and their own hard‑won rights—and they are already gearing up to do it again in 2026.

After 12 hard-fought weeks at the table, Ventura County members transformed frustration into power—and won. Fed up with the County’s lawbreaking, workers filed multiple ULPs, took a 98% ULP strike vote, packed the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting, and forced management back to fair bargaining. With President David Green joining the picket line and testifying before the Board, our Ventura County Bargaining Team pressed day and night until they secured a strong Tentative Agreement with historic gains that help members afford to live where they work and keep providing the vital services our communities rely on.

SEIU 721’s Latino Caucus hosted its annual Latino Heritage celebration on Sept. 27, bringing together members, community allies, and elected leaders for an afternoon of culture, organizing, and resistance.

Caucus Chair and Executive Board member Joe Martinez opened the program by grounding the event in the urgent fights facing Latino workers and immigrant communities today, from attacks on the National Labor Relations Board to escalating repression of protest and cruel immigration enforcement. 

“This is not some far-away thing,” Martinez reminded the crowd, connecting national politics to the realities members see on the job and in their neighborhoods. 

The program featured CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas reporting on federal legal actions
to protect undocumented people,
State Senator Maria Elena Durazo lifting up AB 1340 and gig worker unionization, and a call to action
from LA Councilmember Hugo
Soto-Martinez and SEIU 721 Chief of Staff Gilda Valdez.

The night closed with dancing, raffles, and a renewed commitment to fight back together. 

Non-Tenure Track (NTT) faculty at the University of San Diego have ratified their first-ever union contract with a resounding 99% YES vote, capping more than a year of tough negotiations and a two-day Unfair Labor Practice strike.​

Historic first contract

This first agreement for USD NTT faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences establishes a new base wage scale with title-based increases and additional pay for those holding terminal degrees, delivering long-overdue economic respect for academic workers. The contract also includes retroactive pay and guaranteed across-the-board raises over the life of the agreement.​

Raising standards and power

NTT faculty won new protections around workload changes and job security, as well as fair access to professional resources and development funding that will strengthen teaching and learning on campus. This milestone victory raises standards for NTT faculty across Southern California and proves once again that when we stand union strong and are willing to strike, we win.

Non-Tenure Track faculty at Loyola Marymount University took a major step in their fight for a fair contract this fall, voting overwhelmingly to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike after administrators tried to shut down their union by invoking a so-called religious exemption and refusing to return to bargaining. The strike authorization gives the faculty’s elected Bargaining Action Team the power to call a ULP strike if necessary and sends a clear message that LMU must live up to its Jesuit values by bargaining in good faith. Students have responded with powerful solidarity: more than 150 marched from Alumni Mall to University Hall and the main campus entrance, chanting against union-busting and demanding LMU get back to the table. Student organizations and community groups have delivered letters, launched petitions, and spoken out publicly, uniting with SEIU 721 faculty in calling on LMU’s leadership to respect workers’ rights and resume negotiations.

The SEIU 721 Women’s Caucus is once again putting solidarity into action this holiday season. Caucus members hit the road to our Inland office, where they spent the day making warm fleece blankets to donate to Good Shepherd Shelter, Los Angeles’ first transitional domestic violence shelter for women and children. These handmade blankets will offer comfort and a sense of security to families rebuilding their lives after escaping abuse. 

For Women’s Caucus members, giving back is about living union values in the broader community and creating more spaces for women in SEIU 721 to lead together. Being part of the caucus is a powerful way to connect with fellow members, support survivors, and build lasting friendships. Next up, the caucus will gather in the City of South Pasadena from 9 AM to 12 Noon on Dec. 14 to help decorate floats for the 2025/2026 Rose Parade—another chance to show union pride while serving the community.

LAWA Workers Learn to Flex Their Power

SEIU 721 is continuing its “Good To Know” training series with another powerful round of workshops at Los Angeles World Airports. LAWA custodial staff recently came together to learn how to invoke their Weingarten Rights and protect themselves in meetings with management.

Weingarten Rights guarantee union-represented workers the ability to request representation during an investigatory meeting—any meeting where questions could reasonably lead to discipline or negatively affect working conditions. When workers assert these rights, management must either allow a representative to join, end the interview, or give the worker the choice to proceed without representation or stop the meeting. 

During the LAWA session, members also connected with their Worksite Organizer to flag workplace issues and strategize solutions. Good To Know is designed to equip SEIU 721 members with practical tools they can use on the job and in their daily lives.

SEIU 721 members at Clínica Monseñor Oscar A. Romero and Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Centers are celebrating powerful new agreements that honor their critical work on the frontlines of care. Clínica Romero is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center founded by Salvadoran refugees in the early 1980s, dedicated to providing affordable, culturally sensitive health, behavioral health, and social services to low-income and immigrant communities across Greater Los Angeles, regardless of ability to pay. 

Clínica employees just ratified one of their strongest contracts yet, featuring no takeaways, 13% across-the-board wage increases, no changes to health insurance, and the addition of two new classifications to the bargaining unit. At Gateways, members are voting on a Tentative Agreement that includes wage increases, a $600 appreciation bonus, improved health benefits, a new holiday, and more. 

These victories show what is possible when SEIU 721 members stand united for justice in community health and mental health care.

SEIU 721 Chief of Staff Gilda Valdez

Our Union

Our Union is a Beacon in the Storm

In the face of relentless attacks on working people and our communities, SEIU 721 members are organizing harder than ever—winning real changes on the job, defending democracy, and building a stronger future for working families. While national politics feels like nonstop chaos, our union is a beacon: a place where working people come together, make a plan, and actually win.

This year, members helped stop threatened layoffs in the City of Los Angeles, fought off cuts to vital services, and locked in strong new agreements in the City of Simi Valley and across Ventura County—contracts that put more money in members’ pockets and more stability in our neighborhoods. At the same time, we’re pushing back against the damage from Donald Trump’s so‑called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which hands giveaways to billionaires while starving public services. Through strikes, bargaining, and political action, SEIU 721 members are proving that when we stand up together, we’re not just surviving these attacks—we’re setting the agenda for what comes next.