Member Lobbying Helps Deliver Funding to Save Services and Jobs and Improve the Workplace

SEIU 721 members know the value of a strong and engaged membership from countless contract campaigns, bargaining sessions, and worksite actions. What’s less clear to some is how getting involved in politics helps workers. But time after time, SEIU 721 members demonstrate how activism in city, county and state government can have a direct positive impact on their communities, their families, and their workplace.

This year, SEIU 721 members joined with other SEIU locals to lobby legislators and the Governor, and their hard work paid off in the form of a state budget that will deliver better healthcare and higher wages for millions of Californians plus a better workplace for our members.

• $6.2 Billion for Healthcare Services ($3.5 billion for LA County) — This funding sustains county safety net services under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) through the 1115 Waiver process over a five-year period.

• $169.9 Million to Reduce Eligibility Worker Caseloads
— Funds hiring of 1,700 additional county eligibility workers statewide to deal with the caseload crisis caused by the surge in the Medi-Cal caseload.

• $76.9 Million for Courts for Equitable Access to Justice
— Funds will help alleviate caseloads swelled by Prop 47, and replace antiquated case management systems.

• 34x Increase in Funding for Adult Protective Services (APS) Training — $3 million to fund training for social workers dedicated to preventing elder abuse.

• $6.65 Million to Hire Additional Public Health Nurses to Treat Foster Youth — Funds will go to PHNs responsible for monitoring youth who receive psychotropic drugs to treat mental illness.

• 22.5% in Pay Increases for Most Tri-Counties Regional Center Members — SEIU led the charge on ABX2-1 to increase funding for retention of workers serving the developmentally disabled.

• Final Passage of the Historic $15/hr. Minimum Wage
— The historic bill will raise wages for 6.5 million workers who earn less than $15 and set a floor that will help SEIU workers in future negotiations.

• Expand Safety Net Services for Vulnerable Families
— SEIU backed Senate Bill 75 that extends Medi-Cal benefits to 185,000 undocumented children in California.

Bob Schoonover, President