SEIU Local 1000 rallies in downtown LA for a living wage contract
Los Angeles, CA – The largest union in the state of California, representing more than 96,000 state workers, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1000 held a spirited rally in downtown this morning, June 22. Rank and filers, union representatives, and supporters numbered 100 people. A large sound truck adjacent to Spring Street and in front of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Los Angeles office, provided a stage for speakers.
Rank-and-filer Sol Marquez and her toddler joined the rally and watched as Aztec dancers blessed the ralliers. “I’m witnessing the dialogue that my fellow union members are having on our union’s social media platforms,” said Marquez. “And it’s very telling that our members are in complete favor of a strike, if we don’t get what is being demanded by our union!”
Some of the union demands include a 30% wage increase in three years (12% on July 1, 2023; 9% on July 1, 2024; and 9% in 2025) as well as 100% health coverage. During COVID-19, countless SEIU 1000 rank-and-file members were exposed to COVID, and government offices were constantly closing due to exposure. Employees at the Department of Motor Vehicles are under some of the worst conditions – changes to their schedules which violate a 72-hour rule language within the contract, as well as various positions being gutted and replaced with permanent intermittent employees, who earn significantly less.
On June 21 the state of California made a counteroffer. This comes nine weeks after SEIU 1000 proposed a general salary increase and nine days before the contract expires. The offer was 6% instead of 30%, with 2% each year, effective in 2023. The contract expires on June 30.
“It’s so embarrassing to put myself in the Salvation Army line to get a box of food,” said Norma Murillo, a staff services analyst for the Department of Justice and Local 1000-represented worker. “I work for the state. I’m seeing people that are in situations where they don’t have a job or they’re on Social Security or disability. I’m not supposed to be taking their food.”