There’s a short-staffing crisis in California local government. Whether it’s visiting frontline SEIU 721 members across Southern California or talking with our sister SEIU locals around the state, everywhere I go, I hear the same thing: Workers are stretched too thin.
As LA County workers vote to ratify a landmark contract with the largest raises in LA County history, new protections against the privatization of county workers’ jobs and much more, our union’s work is just beginning.
Member unity delivers the biggest one-year salary increase in LA County history
Who’s got the power? We’ve got the power: Union power. If you were among the thousands of SEIU 721 members and Labor supporters who joined our Fight for the Frontline action on March 31, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Throughout the pandemic, SEIU 721 members have kept the cities and counties of Southern California working and protected vital services for millions of residents when they needed them most.
Almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear that SEIU 721 members — like other workers across America — are done with business as usual.
With the unprecedented COVID-19 surge in Southern California, essential workers in Los Angeles and other cities and counties around the region are once again on the frontlines. We need to listen to them to protect public health and keep vital services rolling.
If there’s one silver lining in the hurricane of a worldwide pandemic that has claimed millions of lives and disrupted the global economy, it’s that workers are suddenly finding they have the upper hand when it comes to negotiating wages and benefits and the terms of their work.