January 2020

On Dec. 10, SEIU Local 221 members presented 500 petitions to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors demanding #EquityforSD.

If you haven’t signed the petition, you can still join your co-workers. Sign the petition and invite your co-workers who haven’t signed it to do the same. Add your name here: http://www.seiu221.org/equity/

Members informed the County Board of Supervisors that paying competitive county salaries is crucial to retain experienced staff.

“I am one of twelve county microbiologists,” said Supervising Public Health Microbiologist Paul Temprendola. “We currently have three vacancies, and my colleagues and I are concerned that our staffing problems could turn into another public health crisis if we cannot find a way to attract and retain California state certified public health microbiologists. … We are responsible for the laboratory testing needed following a bioterrorist attack, an E. coli O157 outbreak, a pandemic flu outbreak, a Zika virus outbreak, or a Hepatitis A outbreak in the homeless population.”

SEIU 221 Member Leader Alma Aguirre addressed Supervisor Kristin Gaspar to tell her to stop attacking County employees and our union on Jan. 14 at the Board of Supervisors.

Gaspar claimed to know more about the best interests of employees than their democratically elected union leaders during a number of interviews this year where she said she is running to protect San Diego from the members of SEIU Local 221.

Gaspar also tried the bait and switch of convincing County employees to give up long-term worker power of union membership and trust County management to treat and compensate workers fairly.

Why are Gaspar and the Freedom Foundation attacking our union?

Gaspar’s talking points echoed the Freedom Foundation, an organization funded by anti-worker extremists and billionaires with a track record of consistently opposing raises and paid-sick-leave legislation for working families and fighting to block policies that would protect the environment. The Freedom Foundation has spent millions trying to convince us to drop our union membership because it knows unions have the power to fight back. Supervisor Gaspar knows that our union is building power in the County to win Equity for SD and make sure that employees have the tools they need to do their jobs and make our communities better.

What can I do to respond?

1. Build power at work by signing up co-workers that aren’t members, ask them to follow this link now. The best way to fight back against Gaspar and the Freedom Foundation is to show membership is strong and demand respect at work.
2. Stand with County employees who are speaking out and sign the petition by following this link.
3. After you have signed the petition to demand #EquityforSD, forward this email to your coworkers. Then join us to turn in the petition at the Board of Supervisors.

Board of Supervisors meeting

9 am Tuesday, Jan. 28
RSVP to Mark.Leo@seiu221.org

Finally, join the Member Political Organizing Committee and take the Member Political Power pledge to make sure that County leaders support us, the employees on the frontlines working to improve our communities.