Hundreds of SEIU 521 Fresno County chapter members packed the Board of Supervisors’ chambers Tuesday to demand a chance to vote on the county’s “last best and final” offer. But anti-worker supervisors ignored the plea, voting 3-2 to impose the contract even before the workers concluded their voting.
SEIU 521 has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Fresno County. Fresno members are meeting Thursday night to decide what to do next.
“The workers understand the fiscal situation that the county has, and the workers were willing and still are willing to work with the county,” said James Hackett, a social service supervisor and member of the elected bargaining team. “We have 4,100 members that must be afforded a chance to vote.”
County workers are in the midst of voting on the county proposal, which calls for a 9 percent pay cut along with other takeaways. The 9 percent pay cut is just the beginning. The board also cut differential, bilingual and standby pay, and took away some of the rights we fought so hard for in the past.
And the cuts fall on the county’s lowest-paid and hardest workers.
“We work overtime, we don’t ask for it, because we know there’s a need for families to have these interventions,” said Mandy Garcia, a social worker for the county. “How is it going to benefit the community if some of these folks lose their homes?”
