Santa Clara County Chapter

This Notice Includes:

• The Complete 2026 Contract Extension Tentative Agreement (TA)

• April 16 Membership Meeting Registration

• Proposed Ratification Vote Timeline & Schedule

• Public Health Nurse Vice Chair Vacancy Notice

---

Ahead of the upcoming contract extension TA ratification vote, we want to clearly lay out the situation facing the County and our union so that every member can make an informed decision.

We are entering one of the toughest economic environments in years. Federal funding cuts as a result of H.R 1 have created major uncertainty and blew a hole in public funding for the jobs and services our members provide. Healthcare costs continue to rise, and in our extension discussions with the county, they signaled that if we entered full bargaining now, they are prepared to push no raises and significant healthcare concessions.

Passing Measure A last fall secured vital funding that many nearby counties don’t have – but cuts remain, and a strong union contract is still essential.

That is the reality: the county was prepared to take, not give.

From the responses of thousands of member surveys, 98% of workers expressed clearly their willingness to fight to defend our pensions and safeguard our healthcare. Because of this critical input, your elected bargaining committee unanimously supports a one-year contract extension with strong protections, including:

• A one-year contract extension rather than a two-year extension, with no increases and likely concessions
• No takeaways on our pension or healthcare
• No furloughs
• “Me too” clause so we don’t fall behind other unions
• A one-time lump sum payment

Contract extension downloads

• Download the complete 2026 Contract Extension TA here. 
• Download the updated Contract Extension FAQ here. 

This extension TA protects what matters most right now while positioning us for a stronger fight ahead. This is not the end of negotiations – it’s security. To win in 2027 when we return to negotiations, we need every worker engaged – joining our union, building strong worksites, and preparing to take action to hold the county accountable. While some may think about stepping back or dropping membership, the truth is simple: that only weakens our collective power, gives more leverage to management, and benefits anti-union interests – not our workforce.

We also need to be clear about the stakes. If the contract extension TA is rejected, we immediately open the entire contract and return to full bargaining in the worst possible economic conditions – with the county already signaling no raises and serious healthcare and benefits concessions. That is a risk we cannot ignore. To learn more about the extension, join the upcoming chapter membership meeting on Thursday, April 16, at 6 pm.

Thursday, April 16, membership meeting

Members may attend in person or via Zoom. Register to attend here.

 

Membership Meeting Agenda:

1. Nominations for Public Health Nurse Vice Chair Vacancy
2. Contract Extension Overview
3. 2026 Contract Extension Ratification Schedule

Getting prepared to vote.

Before the contract extension TA can go into effect, our membership must vote to ratify the TA.

How, When, and Where to Vote: 

PROPOSED ONLINE RATIFICATION VOTE:

Starts: Thursday, April 16 at 7 pm (pending approval at the April 16 membership meeting)
Ends: Monday, April 27 at 5 pm

Members are encouraged to visit worksite voting sites during the ratification period to ask questions and receive troubleshooting support. Click here to view the proposed worksite voting schedule.

METHOD OF VOTING 

Similar to the most recent election of our full chapter bargaining committee, the ratification vote will be conducted electronically via a secure third-party vendor, Election Buddy. Electronic ballots will be sent to your personal email or cell phone number on file with our union.

One vote per member to accept or reject the TA. If you are not signed up to receive union texts and alerts, sign up by Tuesday, April 14 here: https://www.seiu521.org/signup 

ELIGIBILITY TO CAST VOTE 

Only full dues-paying members are eligible to vote on the TA. If you are not a current member or are unsure, or to avoid receiving a provisional ballot, sign up to become a member by Tuesday, April 14. Activate your membership today!

CAN’T FIND YOUR BALLOT?

If you cannot locate your electronic ballot during the ratification vote period, review your personal email address spam/other folder, or search in your email inbox “SEIU” or “Election Buddy”. If you still cannot locate your online ballot, email: communications@seiu521.org for assitance.

We look forward to seeing you at upcoming worksite info sessions and at the April 16 general membership meeting.

In unity,

Your SEIU Local 521 – Santa Clara County Bargaining Committee.

This week, our bargaining committee sat across from the County to defend and secure our future.

We met with the County on Monday and again on Wednesday to discuss what a possible contract extension could look like. As we noted in our previous communications, we did not reopen the contract – we focused on protecting what we’ve already won.

On Monday, the County came to the table with their initial proposal – a two-year extension with no money. That proposal fell short of what our members deserve. So we pushed back. We were clear about our priorities: protect our pension and safeguard our healthcare – priorities backed by thousands of surveys from our members, with 98% identifying these as top concerns.

After continued discussions, we reached a mutual understanding with the County on an agreement for a contract extension framework that reflects those priorities. This mutual agreement is subject to approval by our SEIU 521 membership and the Board of Supervisors.

Our bargaining committee voted unanimously to support this extension.

Key terms of the mutual agreement include:

• One-year contract extension
• Protected and preserved our pension, healthcare, time-off and holidays
• No furloughs (temporary, mandatory, and unpaid leave of absence)
• No takeaways
• Accountability language tied to County budgets and revenues
• “Me Too” clause
• A one-time lump sum payment

Let’s be clear about what this means:

In the face of a difficult budget environment, we protected the core of our contract. We defended our retirement security, healthcare, time off, and holidays. We stopped concessions before they could start – something the County signaled they were considering and that we’re seeing in other counties across the state.

This is a big deal, and it only happens when workers are organized and united.

These terms are part of a mutual agreement. We are working to finalize the details in the coming days.

What’s Next:

• Worksite Info Roadshow Tour: Our bargaining committee will be hosting sessions across the county so you can review the details and ask questions. Schedule coming in the next few days.
• General Membership Meeting: Thursday, April 16 at 6:00 pm. See below for ways to join
• Ratification Vote: Members will vote on whether to approve the extension. More details coming soon.

Thursday, April 16 General Membership Meeting – Two Ways to Join:

• In-Person: SEIU 521 Union Hall – 2302 Zanker Road, San Jose – RSVP HERE
• Via Zoom: Register for Zoom Here 

Staying informed and engaged will be critical as we move forward. You can learn more and stay up-to-date by visiting our SEIU 521 Santa Clara County LinkTree – Visit, save, and share: https://linktr.ee/seiuscc

We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

In unity,

Your SEIU 521 – Santa Clara County Bargaining Committee:

A quick update from our Santa Clara County Chapter Negotiating Committee:

Today, we met with the County to explore the idea of extending our contract. Each party shared our “supposals” on what an extension might look like.  There were NO decisions made today.  We continue our discussion with the County on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.  Stay tuned.

As mentioned before, we are still full steam ahead with our preparations for contract negotiations.  The most important action you can take right now to show the county that we are united and ready to defend and secure our future is to complete your bargaining survey.

If you have yet to complete the pre-negotiations bargaining survey, click here or the button below to get started.

SAVE THE DATE – CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP MEETING – THURSDAY, APRIL 16

General Membership Meeting
Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 6:00 pm

Two Ways to Join:

• In-Person: SEIU 521 Union Hall – 2302 Zanker Road, San Jose – RSVP HERE
• Via Zoom: Register for Zoom Here 

As your elected negotiating team, we know how important it is that members are up to date on all developments. Please read below and share it with your coworkers.

Negotiating a Possible Contract Extension
Your elected bargaining committee has made the decision to engage the County in discussing a potential contract extension. This does not mean that we will necessarily agree to an extension, but we believe that it would best serve our membership for us to explore this option. This means that we will begin meeting with the County to negotiate what a potential extension would look like that both the Union & County could agree to.

What Would a Contract Extension Mean?
A contract extension would mean extending the current agreement exactly as it exists today – continuing all rights, benefits (including pension and healthcare), and obligations without any changes for an agreed-upon period of time. The specifics must be worked out in contract extension talks, but for general questions, you can check out this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.

If we were to reach a tentative agreement on an extension that our committee could recommend to the membership, then there would need to be a ratification vote by the membership before any extension could take effect.

Start Survey Here

Our power at the bargaining table will ultimately come from how organized and engaged our members are.

That’s why our Contract Action Team (CAT) came together last weekend to prepare and strategize how to meet this moment. More than 300 SEIU 521 members have signed up as CATs to help share information, mobilize co-workers, and build a strong network that we will need for what is expected to be a challenging round of negotiations.

Stay Connected and Get Involved
You can learn more, become a CAT member, and stay up-to-date on negotiations by visiting our Santa Clara County LinkTree. Visit, bookmark, and share our page here:  https://linktr.ee/seiuscc 

Together, by staying informed and organized, we can build the strength needed to defend our rights and secure a strong contract for Santa Clara County workers.

This email includes two important updates:

• Contract extension meeting recap
• Pre-negotiations survey launch

We want to provide a follow-up update on preparations for our upcoming contract negotiations and share where things currently stand following our meeting with county management.

As we communicated in our last update, county management contacted our union to request a meeting to discuss a potential contract extension [If you missed that email, read it here]. We agreed to meet with them last Thursday to hear their perspective and gather information as part of our preparation.

During that meeting, county representatives raised concerns about economic uncertainty and long-term costs. They explained that H.R.1 or Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill cuts to Medicaid and other programs will hit much harder starting in 2027, and that while passing Measure A will provide some relief, they still see massive reductions in revenue for the county.  They also said that the county faces additional financial pressure due to healthcare costs and other inflation, including gas and oil prices.  Under these circumstances, they said the Board of Supervisors was not interested in committing to raises at this time and if there were negotiations, they would likely be expecting the management team to seek concessions on healthcare and other cost-saving measures.

County management presented the concept of a two-year contract extension with no wage increases as a way to avoid bargaining under these conditions with the possibility that in 2 years there could be more certainty about improved revenue from the state and possibly federal government. This would mean that benefits like healthcare and retirement would stay the same, but there would be no new across the board wage increases. They did clarify that anniversary step increases would continue. We listened to their presentation in order to fully understand their position and the factors that are affecting the County’s financial outlook.

Two Possible Paths
At this stage, there are two possible paths forward:

• Begin full contract negotiations in early April, as originally planned.
• Consider negotiating a contract extension, which would extend the current agreement for a defined period of time before returning to the bargaining table.

Both options have different implications, and the bargaining committee is taking time to carefully evaluate the situation.

No Decision Has Been Made
To be clear: no decision has been made about whether to pursue an extension or move forward with negotiations immediately. Your elected bargaining committee is carefully reviewing all available information and considering what path would best position our members to protect our rights, defend our benefits, and secure the strongest possible contract.

We remain committed to maintaining the rights and benefits that members have fought to win and to ensuring that any decisions are made thoughtfully and transparently.

Just as importantly, any potential contract extension would require a vote of our membership before it could take effect.

Our Contract Campaign Prep Moves Forward – 2026 Survey Now Live
While these discussions are ongoing, our organizing and contract campaign preparations continue moving forward. On Saturday, our Contract Action Team (CAT) came together to spring into action & prepare for the fight ahead.

Today, we are officially launching our pre-negotiations member priority survey.

Completing this survey is one of the most important ways members can shape the direction of bargaining. Your responses will help our bargaining committee identify member priorities we’re all willing to fight for and defend.

We remain laser-focused on preparing for whatever comes next, and the strength of our bargaining position will depend on how engaged and organized our membership is. Take time to complete your survey and make your voice heard.

Staying informed and engaged will be critical as we move forward. You can learn more, become a Contract Action Team (CAT) member, and stay up-to-date on negotiations by visiting our SEIU 521 Santa Clara County LinkTree – visit, save, and share: https://linktr.ee/seiusc

As we prepare for upcoming contract negotiations, we want to share an important update about the early stages of bargaining preparation, introduce our 2026 Bargaining Committee, and provide information about recent outreach from County management.

Preparing for Negotiations
Our elected Bargaining Committee, made up of co-workers from across departments and bargaining units, is now beginning the critical preparation work that takes place before formal negotiations begin. This early phase includes gathering information, reviewing member priorities, analyzing the County’s financial outlook, and exploring all possible options as we prepare proposals for the bargaining table.

County Outreach Regarding a Possible Contract Extension
Late last week, County management contacted our union and expressed interest in discussing a possible contract extension. As part of that outreach, County representatives shared concerns about the economic outlook facing Santa Clara County, citing potential fiscal challenges related to HR.1 funding cuts and broader revenue uncertainties.

At this stage, the County has only indicated an interest in exploring this possibility. Our union bargaining committee met last Thursday and agreed that we are willing to hear the County out and gather information as part of the preparation process.

What Would a Contract Extension Mean?
A contract extension would mean extending the current agreement exactly as it exists today – continuing all rights, benefits, and obligations without any changes for an agreed-upon period of time.

It is important to be clear: we have not agreed to extend the contract. We are simply listening and evaluating information as part of our preparation process. Any potential agreement would require a vote ofthe membership before anything could take effect.

Our Contract Campaign Continues
While this outreach from the County is an important development, it does not change our contract campaign preparation. We are continuing our organizing, bargaining preparations, and member engagementfull speed ahead.

To that end, we are pleased to share our 2026 Santa Clara County Bargaining Committee team: 

Our power at the bargaining table will ultimately come from how organized and engaged our members are.

That’s why we are launching our Contract Action Team (CAT) program and inviting members to participate in our CAT Kick-off training this weekend. CAT members will help share information, mobilize co-workers, and build the strong network we will need for what is expected to be a challenging round of negotiations.

Stay Connected and Get Involved
You can learn more, become a CAT member, and stay up-to-date on negotiations by visiting our Santa Clara County LinkTree. Visit, bookmark, and share our LinkTree here: https://linktr.ee/seiuscc  

Together, by staying informed and organized, we can build the strength needed to defend our rights and secure a strong contract for all Santa Clara County workers.

The CalSAWS Innovation Committee is a joint effort between county management and SEIU 521 members to create more sustainable and efficient workloads for the folks that do eligibility work. 

Through months of hard work and collaboration, the committee has created workflows, goals, and benchmarks for a project testing phase that will involve trying out a unit-based tasked model with the goal of making life better for workers and the clients you serve.  The best part?  You get to have a direct impact on what the project will look like through volunteering for an Intake or Continuing Pilot.  (Note that for Generic Intake we will be focusing on Medi-Cal only.) 

Participating in the project will be a year-long testing phase where you’ll work with a team of eligibility workers and supervisors to test out the new unit-based task model in either Intake or Continuing.  As a project volunteer, you will work closely with the committee to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and what can be improved.  You’ll meet with the committee members on a regular basis to provide feedback, uplift issues that may occur, and bring your own ideas to the table the committee may not have thought of.  By the end of year long test phase, the goal is to have a solid project that works better for clients and workers that we can apply on a broader scale. 

We’re looking for volunteers to participate in special units that will be testing out these new models of operation.  Interested in testing out and having a voice in a unit-based task project? Sign up today! 

Need more info? Attend one of our info sessions!  RSVP for one here: https://calendly.com/ashley-swank/calsaws-innovation-project-volunteer-info-sessions 

Sign up to volunteer for the project here by Friday, November 1: https://seiu521.click/calsawsvolunteer
Even if you’ve already signed up via your manager, be sure to use this form!  This will ensure we’re able to capture everyone interested! 

• • While your SEIU 521 team is collaborating with county management on pilot concepts on what might be a “new and improved” business model for DEBS, we also recognize that there are present day-to-day operational issues in DEBS that continue to persist and impact the livelihood of clients and your coworkers and further yielding conflict between the union and management.  Therefore, we established bi-weekly meetings for SEIU and management to engage in a systematic, solution-oriented approach that addresses and resolves ongoing work issues, and advances the interests of DEBS workers, the county, and the community. This is led by: Hannah Vu, James Foreman, Rosalinda Nunez, Rosemary Freitas, Mary Hernandez, Marsha Porch, and Julie Barajas.

• • Current wins: Management will not discipline workers for having a high number of tasks to be completed.  An email should be going out to everyone soon, if it hasn’t already. What does this mean?  It means there is no current numerical standard for the amount of tasks that need to be completed on a daily/weekly basis.  For example, you cannot be reprimanded for having more than 40 tasks in your bank.  However, if a worker is completing far fewer tasks than the average for their office, their supervisor will begin a conversation about how or why their work is below average before any telework could be removed.

• • The CalSAWS Innovation Committee has brought on subject matter experts from each unit to help develop workflows.

• • The SEIU members of the committee have interviewed EWs from LA and Riverside counties around how their caseloads are handled.  They will be meeting with Fresno and Kern counties next.

• • The committee is working with county council to define required state mandates to evaluate ways to be in alignment with state mandates while eliminating erroneous work for EWs and Clerical.

Upcoming Union Visits

Ready to learn more about what’s happening at the CalSAWS Innovation Committee and give feedback on your experience?  Join one of our virtual or in-person Info Sessions.

Virtual Sessions

Virtual sessions occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunchtime.

You can sign up for a virtual session here: https://calendly.com/ashley-swank/seiu-calsaws-updates

1867 Senter Rd

10:00AM – 12:00PM – There will be an SEIU table in the main cafeteria
12:00PM – 2:00PM – RSVP for small group sessions in X Conference Room

Conference room TBD

• • August 28

• • September 11

• • September 23

Sign up for a session here: https://calendly.com/ashley-swank/1867-senter-rd-seiu-visit

1877 Senter Rd

10:00AM – 2:00PM – RSVP for small group sessions in Neptune Conference Room

• • August 21

• • September 18

• • September 30

Sign up for a session here: https://calendly.com/ashley-swank/1877-senter-rd-seiu-calsaws-updates

1919 Senter Rd

10:00AM – 2:00PM  – RSVP for small group sessions in TBD Conference Room

• • August 30

• • September 16

Sign up for sessions here: https://calendly.com/ashley-swank/1919-senter-rd-seiu-calsaws-updates

North County

10:00AM – 2:00PM – RSVP for small group sessions in Jupiter Conference Room

• • August 19

• • September 12

Sign up for sessions here: https://calendly.com/ashley-swank/north-county-seiu-calsaws-updates

South County

10:00AM – 2:00PM – RSVP for small group sessions in the Gavilan Conference Room

• • August 26

• • September 9

Sign up for sessions here: https://calendly.com/ashley-swank/south-county-seiu-calsaws-updates

A lot has happened with the CalSAWS Innovation Committee in the last couple of months and we want to make sure you get all the information.

Before we dive into where we’re at, let’s start with a recap of the scope and purpose of the committee:

• • During contract negotiations, we negotiated a side letter to address workload and CalSAWS-related issues. Click here to read the side letter.

• • The CalSAWS Innovation Committee with SEIU and Santa Clara County management was formed

• • 10 EWs from across the county form the SEIU side of the committee

• • The committee is tasked with analyzing our current processes, researching other counties, and forming pilot programs to radically improve how we operate in DEBS for the better

We officially kicked off the CalSAWS Innovation Committee with a meeting with county management in February.  Since then we’ve divided into 4 workgroups, each tasked with a different mission:

1. 1. Bright Spots: This workgroup identifies and uplifts processes, protocols, and tools that currently work for everyone in a way that can be emulated across all of DEBS.
   2. Leveraging Technology: This group has really dived deep into the CalSAWS programs, what it can do, what it can’t do, and what it should do.  In addition, they uplift issues brought to them by workers so they can be directly addressed by CalSAWS and/or management.
   3. Data: This group looks at data related to benefits, CalSAWS, and staffing here in Santa Clara County and across the state.
   4. Equitable and Sustainable Workloads: This is where most of the magic is happening!  This group has divided into Intake and Continuing groups and are using the information gathered from the other work groups to figure out what the future of DEBS could look like.

We’ve already been able to implement a few small wins, including:

1. 1. Won a 48-hour callback for CBS.  Originally we needed to call back within 24 hours.
   2. The technology group has been able to implement requests made from EWs and Clerical.  Keep an eye out for a Chewable Byte with more information.
   3. Chewable Bytes have been consolidated into a more easily searchable list.

We’ll also be doing a roadshow to the DEBS offices across the county to provide updates, get feedback, and eventually distribute copies of the new contract!  We’re still working on dates and locations but here’s what’s been scheduled so far!  All events are from 10AM to 1PM.

1. 1. May 29 – 1877 Senter Rd – Neptune Conference Room

1. 1. June 5 – North County – Jupiter Conference Room

1. 1. June 10 – 1877 Senter Rd – Neptune Conference Room

1. 1. June 12 – 1867 Senter Rd (TBD)

1. 1. June 18 – 1879 Senter Rd (TBD)

1. 1. June 26 –  South County (TBD)

1. 1. TBD 1919 Senter Rd

We’ll also be launching our CalSAWS Updates page by the end of this week.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the road shows!