I’ve got some big news. At the end of February, SEIU 721 members at St. John’s Well Child and Family Center voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three year contract. It contains improved healthcare benefits, provides for better staff development and safeguards employee vacation time. These are all important wins for our members. But that’s not the whole story.

What’s unprecedented is that the contract lifts up our members by raising all wages to at least $15 an hour. This wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of our members and the spirit of collaboration from the forward-thinking management team at St. John’s.

But it also wouldn’t have happened if income inequality wasn’t in the spotlight across the region and the whole country. Right now, income inequality is the highest it has been in the United States since 1928. Those fortunate enough to be wealthy are doing better than ever, but most people are barely getting by. In the city of LA alone, the average low-wage worker makes $9.55 an hour—that’s below LA County’s poverty guidelines.

Some might think that doesn’t matter for us because we already have good, middle-class jobs in the public sector. But it matters … it matters a lot. When other workers have poverty wages, it’s not only hard for them and their families; our opponents use those low wages to argue for a race to the bottom. They compare low-wage workers to the public sector and say we are too well-paid and get too many benefits. We’ve got to turn that narrative around.

Being in a union means struggling to strengthen the middle class and doing everything we can to bring more working families up into it.

That’s why the St. John’s contract is such a big deal. It helps bring our members up to a living wage. And it is right in line with the work we’ve been doing for months. Remember the national Fight for $15 campaign led by brave fast food workers, who have gone on strike several times? I’ve walked on their picket lines and so have many of you. Our St. John’s contract is right in line with their campaign.

In fact, I hope it becomes a template for this movement. Once people hear about the groundbreaking St. John’s contract, workers at other clinics will be inspired, along with low-wage workers in all sorts of other jobs. Hotel workers in LA are already pushing for a $15 an hour wage at local hotels and politicians are starting to line up to say that we need a living wage at various local levels.

This work is something we can truly be proud of. And we’re getting ready to do even more of it as we launch campaigns in LA City, Riverside County and elsewhere. I’ll keep you informed about new developments in the fight to lift up our members and highlight the positive role we play in our communities.

Sincerely,
Bob Schoonover
SEIU 721 President and LA City
Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic