It’s a critical year for working people. With COVID-19 still upon us and the economy collapsing around us, the stakes are higher than ever. That’s why we held a “State of the Union” – so we’re all on the same page and know the facts. Like so many other important … Read More
We’re living in the new epicenter of the national COVID-19 pandemic but you wouldn’t know it given the lack of basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) we’re enduring on the frontlines at the LA County Department of Public Health. It’s been more than three months since California’s first COVID-19 shutdown yet … Read More
On Monday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a final budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21. The budget addresses a nearly $1 billion projected shortfall by eliminating over 3,200 positions which would result in an estimated 655 layoffs. The lion’s share of these projected layoffs, approximately 400, are … Read More
In case you missed it, the United States Supreme Court affirmed on Pride Month that an employer cannot fire a person because of their sexual orientation or gender identity! The 6-3 decision in the Bostock v. Clay County case represents a landmark victory for all LGBTQ+ identified workers in the United … Read More
Most everyone working in our union’s Health Division knew Cherri Newman, who tragically passed away on June 16, 2020. Cherri was a Licensed Vocational Nurse at the High Desert Regional Health Center in Lancaster, working in the Ambulatory Care Clinic, where she was like a mother to everyone there and … Read More
During the COVID-19 pandemic, calls to the LA County Child Protection Hotline have dropped by as much as 50 percent. This is very concerning. An astonishingly massive decrease in calls by half, virtually overnight, due to a commensurate drop in abuse defies credulity. It’s far more likely that calls aren’t … Read More
This global pandemic is challenging our social structures to the maximum, exposing the pre-existing conditions of our society – lack of health resources and economic resources for the most vulnerable in our communities. And our city and county workers are on the frontlines putting themselves in harm’s way risking life and death … Read More
Together, We Will Stop the Layoffs! Yesterday, CEO Sachi Hamai reported that “the budget that will go before the Board of Supervisors on June 29 will include not only cuts in programs, but also potential layoffs of County staff.” The threat of layoffs in LA County is the result of a … Read More
Social workers at LA County’s Department of Children and Family Services bargained hard for an MOU that clearly specified what our caseloads should be and our timeline for achieving them. But the department has not met these goals. On average, social workers in the Resource Family Support and Permanency Division … Read More
SEIU 721 members and their families joined Black Lives Matter, interfaith leaders, and labor and community groups for a funeral procession and memorial service Downtown Los Angeles honoring George Floyd and demanding justice for those killed at the hands of law enforcement. The funeral procession, which began in Leimert Park … Read More