As Mark Twain once said, “rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.” To listen to the Washington, D.C. pundits, he might as well have been talking about the American Labor Movement. To be sure, the Supreme Court’s misguided Janus decision is a severe blow to working people. But we’ve known for years that this day was coming, and we planned, prepared and organized.
By the time you read this, the United States Supreme Court probably will have ruled in Janus v. AFSCME, a case that threatens decades of progress and precedent protecting workers’ rights to form and operate unions.
For decades, public sector workers in California have fought for a society that lifts everyone up. We’ve stood up — sometimes literally laying our bodies on the line — to say everyone deserves better. That we’re all equal and everyone deserves opportunity, freedom from hunger and access to health care.
Working people in America have been pushed to the edge. In the public sector, we’re fighting to keep our communities healthy and safe with declining resources and rising demands.
At SEIU 721, we’ve built a powerful union that protects vital public services and the workers who provide them. It’s why ultra-conservative billionaires are trying to cripple organizations like ours with the “Right to Work” scam. It’s also why full union membership is must-have protection for your job, your rights in the workplace and the quality of life in your community.
On February 26th, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case called Janus v. AFSCME designed to cripple workers’ ability to organize and operate labor unions. Janus is one of dozens of federal “Right to Work” lawsuits designed from the ground up by ultra-right wing think tanks and financed by a handful of anti-worker billionaires to silence working people.
I am so proud of our members and our union. In the face of these attacks, we launched Rise and Resist to recruit, train and activate member leaders to expose Right to Work. As a result, we’ve fought back all over Southern California and won.
On September 6th and 7th, thousands of SEIU 721 members picketed Riverside University Health System to highlight management’s refusal to protect patients and health care professionals with metal detectors and enhanced security despite a constant flow of weapons smuggled into county emergency rooms. They marched on the County Administration Center to expose county management’s refusal to disclose details of costly failed swap deals with banking giant Wells Fargo and a $40 million sweetheart consulting contract with Dutch consulting firm KPMG.
After a year of stonewalling, worker harassment and unfair labor practices by county management, Riverside County SEIU 721 members have had enough. On August 29th, 721 members marched on the Riverside Board of Supervisors and issued a formal notice for a countywide strike.
SEIU 721 Members Pledge To Protect Our Union Voice!
We’ve all seen the story time and time again of the kid picked on by the neighborhood bully who, after taking a self-defense class, fights back and wins. With the biggest neighborhood bully of all sitting in the White House, SEIU Local 721 is putting together self-defense classes of our own for workers.