Sisters and brothers: As you read these words, we’re less than 70 days away from the most important election many of us will see in our lifetimes. At stake this November are the very things we’ve fought so hard to protect: vital services for our communities, good, middle class jobs, and a real voice in the decisions that affect our work, our families, and those we serve.
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.
After a year-long battle with dug-in county management, San Bernardino County professionals last month won a great new three-year deal with raises, restorations and other key improvements that will begin the process of restoring vital county services hobbled by attrition and short-staffing.
Thousands of SEIU members gathered last month in Detroit, Michigan for our International Union’s 2016 convention to celebrate some of the huge victories of the past four years — like the wave of wins in the Fight for $15 campaign — and develop a plan for the next four.
Last month, SEIU 721 and its coalition partners in Fix L.A. locked in an agreement with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to fill 5,000 newly created city jobs through a groundbreaking hiring and training program targeted to underrepresented L.A. residents.
Workers scored two huge victories this month: The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to their basic union rights and the California Legislature adopted a $15 minimum wage for all workers. As the old saying goes, “sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you are good.”
In 2015, we demonstrated that with the right planning and fearless execution we can make big things happen for workers. If you’re already a member, take a moment to celebrate our union’s accomplishments. If you’re a new member, welcome to the most dynamic and fastest-growing public employee union in America.
Today, our union is gripped by sorrow in the wake of the tragedy in San Bernardino. In what has become a weekly occurrence, a mass shooting has claimed the lives of innocent Americans and injured many more. This attack is particularly close to home. Of the 14 people killed on December 2nd, 10 were SEIU 721 members. Of the 22 injured, 15 were members of our union.
Last summer, many national pundits wrote the American worker’s obituary. They said the union movement would die in a hail of lawsuits from the Koch Brothers and other anti-worker extremists that make it harder for workers to join unions.
A year ago, we knew Southern California workers’ backs were against the wall and our union would face some of the toughest fights in our history. At our member summit last November, we decided going it alone with old tactics wouldn’t work. Instead, we focused on building alliances with other unions, community groups, and clergy.