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As the City seeks $3.3 million in savings, SEIU 721 workers have offered a 4 percent pay cut among all members. The plan exceeds the City’s needed savings by $40,000.
“We have a history of stepping up to the plate,” said SEIU 721 member Tim Burke. “We have taken on more responsibility as our workforce shrinks and created more efficiency in the services we provide, because we’re being held accountable to the citizens of Hemet.”
Click here to read the remarks of Tim Burke, an SEIU 721 Inland Regional Board member, whose statement appeared in the The Press-Enterprise.
Members also provided dozens of cost saving solutions such as offering a city-wide early retirement plan, cutting wasteful and expensive contracted services and implementing a handicap parking violation fee.
Most recently, the City provided a proposal that includes drastic cuts to services from streets to parks and challenges the ability of workers to provide for their families and maintain their homes.
Burke said several members have expressed their concern, especially after hearing stories everyday about hardworking Americans who have lost everything.
“Their homes were taken away in the blink of an eye because big banks pillaged our houses instead of partnering with homeowners,” he said. “Let’s not let that happen to our services, our library, our senior center and the 127 workers who call Hemet their home.”
Next step: A membership meeting in late August. Stay tuned for more information.
View a photo gallery of SEIU 721 members at the Hemet City Council meeting.