City of Palo Alto

We are thrilled to announce that our membership has overwhelmingly ratified our new union contract with an overwhelming YES vote!  

This new agreement was made possible because SEIU 521 members organized across every worksite and department to demand a fair and just contract. From weekly worksite meetings to continuous actions at the City Council, and support from our neighbors – we showed we can win when we come together as one!    

What’s next? 

• The new contract will be formally approved by the City Council on March 17, 2025. 

• The first pay increase will take effect on March 22, 2025. 

By organizing alongside our coworkers and standing united, we secured major improvements for every working person at the City of Palo Alto. This agreement sets a framework to continue addressing worker concerns and improving City services for our community. This victory proves that when we fight together, we win!   

We are pleased to announce that we reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) on a new 3-year contract with City of Palo Alto!

Download the TA Summary/Highlights here

By organizing with coworkers and fighting for what we deserve, we were able to win major improvements in our union contract.  Read the full Tentative Agreement here.

Our Tentative Agreement won’t be final until you VOTE! Your Bargaining Team recommends a YES vote to accept the new TA!

The TA ratification vote will be held in person at various worksites.  The contract ratification worksite meetings will begin on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, and conclude on Thursday, February 27, 2025.

 Educational Ratification Worksite Schedule

You must be a member to vote. Follow this link to activate your membership today: https://members.seiu521.org/SEIU521MembershipApplicationExternal.aspx

Virtual TA Educational Meeting – Monday, February 24 – 6:30 p.m.
We will host a virtual TA educational meeting via Zoom on Monday, February 24, 6:30pm.
Zoom link: https://seiu521-org.zoom.us/j/96870260635 

Vote Count – February 27
The TA ratification vote count will be conducted at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.) on Thursday, February 27th from 4:30pm – 5:00pm.

Because we stood united and kept up the pressure on management, we reached a tentative agreement which delivers real improvements for you and your coworkers!  

Your solidarity and commitment throughout our fight made the difference, and we are proud of what we accomplished together.  Your Bargaining Team is recommending a YES vote on the Tentative Agreement. 

Here are the key highlights of the tentative agreement:  

• Annual Wage Increase: 3% upon ratification, 2.5% in year 2, 3% in year 3

• Market Adjustments: Market adjustments at the 75th percentile applied BEFORE the COLA, split over two years.  Year 1-up to 3% of market adjustment.  Year 2-remainder of market adjustment. 

• Healthcare: 

• • Flexible Compensation in lieu of increases to employer premium which can be used to cover healthcare costs.   

• • Increases to Employer Premium contribution in year 3:  

• • • 2% increase in employer contribution for employee only coverage; 

• • • 3% increase in employer contribution for employee plus one coverage; 

• • • 5% increase in employer contribution for family coverage. 

• Flexible Compensation: Year 1 provides $150 per month ($1800 total).  Year 2 provides an additional $50 in flexible compensation for a total of $200 per month ($2,400 total).  Year 3 provides $2,400 total ongoing in flexible compensation. 

• Workplace Protections:

• • Improved language to ensure adequate rest periods 

• • Improved Standby/On-Call language.   

• • New language to limit subcontracting of bargaining unit work.   

• Public Safety Dispatchers: 1.33% Market Adjustment

Read the full Tentative Agreement here.

This agreement is subject to a ratification vote by the membership. The voting schedule will be announced soon, and we will be holding informational meetings to review the full contract details and answer any questions.  

This victory shows the power of standing together. Thank you for your dedication and strength! We accomplished this contract victory because we refused to back down! 

IMPORTANT NOTES IN PREPARATION FOR THE IN-PERSON VOTE: 

You must be a member to vote. 

We must receive your membership application as soon as possible:
https://members.seiu521.org/SEIU521MembershipApplicationExternal.aspx   

In Solidarity, 

SEIU 521 City of Palo Alto Bargaining Team 

During our last negotiation session, the City said they heard our comments at City Council.  Management put a proposal on the table that shifted more money into healthcare and wages but still does not address:

• Applying Market Adjustments before COLA to keep our wages competitive
• Addresses the critical vacancies in critical positions in the lineman and public safety dispatcher job families.

Read the City’s Last Proposal Here.

See what management’s latest proposal means for your Job Family: 

Accounting Specialist

Admin Associate

Animal Control

Associate Engineer

Building Inspector

Building Service Person

Buyer

Chemist

Community Service Officer

Coord Rec Prog

CSR

Desktop Tech

Electrician

Eng Tech

Equipment Operator

Facilities Tech

Ind Waste Inves

Library Specialist

Lineman

Meter Reader

Motor Equipment Mechanic

Park Maintenance Person

Park Ranger

Planner

Program Analyst

Public Safety Dispatcher

Resource Planner

Senior Librarian

St Maintenance Assistant

Storekeeper

Tree Trimmer

Utility Locator

WQC Plant Operator

It’s up to us to decide what happens next.  Fill Out Your Strike Commitment Card Today: https://www.seiu521.org/cipastrike/  

SIGN YOUR STRIKE COMMITMENT CARD

RSVP for our City Council Action on Tuesday, January 21st at 4:30pm

Management’s last proposal won’t address critical issues raised or costs we need to cover to make ends meet.  

We are conducting a strike assessment as part of our effort to pressure the City to address: 

• Market wage adjustments at the 75th percentile applied before the COLA to ensure our pay remains competitive. 

• Keeping healthcare affordable for individual and dependent coverage. 

• Address the vacancy crisis in critical positions like public safety dispatchers, and the lineman job family. 

This is your opportunity to   demonstrate the strength of our unity.  The more of us that participate, the stronger our message to City management will be. 

SIGN THE STRIKE COMMITMENT CARD HERE

Signing doesn’t mean a strike is happening—it just shows you’re willing to stand together for our contract, for our work together. (All sign-ups are kept with our union and will not be shown to management.) 

Our coworkers in Public Works, CSD, Library and other departments are signing with us. Help us build a strong united voice. 

Know your rights as union members. We are with you: https://www.seiu521.org/cityofpaloalto

Let’s stand together for a fair contract.  Every voice counts! 

RSVP for our City Council Action on Tuesday, January 21st at 4:30pm

 GET INVOLVED TODAY!  

Actively involve yourself in your union by joining fellow members.  

-Sign up as a Contract Action Team (CAT) member: click here to learn more.

-Stay tuned for more updates and announcements. Check our contract updates on the City of Palo Alto Chapter webpage: https://www.seiu521.org/cityofpaloalto.

 

 

SAY NO TO HEALTH CARE TAKE BACKS! 

The City of Palo Alto’s Proposal Would Make Dependent Coverage Unaffordable! (see below)  

Rally at City Hall

Monday, January 13, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. 

RSVP HERE

Management continues to ignore our most pertinent issues we care about at the bargaining table.  We must stand together and fight to achieve a contract that invests in us, by providing livable wages and affordable healthcare.   

As we near the expiration of our current contract, our choice is clear: we must continue to stand together and fight for what we deserve.  Let’s keep up the pressure on Management to invest in us, the workers that keep the City of Palo Alto running. 

Management’s Wage Proposal: 3.5% in Year 1, 3.25% in Year 2, 3.25% in Year 3

Read Full Tentative Agreements Here:

• Certification Pay
• Rest Periods
• Sick Leave
• Vacation Leave

We must keep up the pressure if we want to win a good contract. 

Attend Our Next Membership Meeting to Learn More About the Plan To Win 

What:  Negotiations Update Meeting

When: January 8, 2024 at 6:30 pm 

Click here to join:  https://seiu521-org.zoom.us/j/99961754238 

Meeting ID: 999 6175 4238 

 

 

We just wrapped up another bargaining session with the City of Palo Alto, and unfortunately, there’s still no progress from management on our Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) and healthcare. This lack of movement is deeply concerning, as rising costs inject an unwarranted pressure into our budgets and daily lives.

Our choice is clear: we can sink or swim. But our union prioritizes solidarity actions to improve our common welfare and protect our livelihoods. Join us as we fight for a fair contract that recognizes our contributions to public services in the City of Palo Alto (one of the wealthiest cities within the San Francisco Peninsula) but we need your support to keep the pressure on!

📽️ Watch the Latest Bargaining Update: Click here to view the video.

RAISING AN INFORMATIONAL PICKET = It’s Time to Act!
To push for the fair compensation and respect we deserve at our worksites and the bargaining table, we will come together and make our voices heard.

We’re calling on all members to join the informational picket outside the City Council meeting on:

📅 Monday, December 16
⏰ 4:30 p.m.
📍 City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto

👉 RSVP Now: Click here to RSVP.

By standing united, we will show the Palo Alto City Council and city management that we are serious about securing a fair contract that reflects our value and the reality of today’s economic challenges.

Our Plan to Win:

1. Show up: Your presence is powerful.
2. Spread the word: Encourage your co-workers to attend.
3. Stay engaged: Follow updates and action plans.

Together, our unity is our strength. Let’s send a clear message:
We deserve fair COLAs, and we won’t back down!

Click here for the flyer (PDF)

Negotiations Update: OUR STRONG PRESENCE AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MOVED THE NEGOTIATIONS. 

City Wage Proposal: 3.5% in Year 1, 3% in Year 2, 3% in Year 3 

WE NEED TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE TO WIN A FAIR CONTRACT 

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE MEETING
Monday, December 9, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom  

CITY OF PALO ALTO UNITY BREAK ACTION
Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.  
Downtown Library, 270 Forest Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301 

RSVP here for both: https://seiu521.click/CiPAGMMUnityBreak  

 

Click here to download a PDF of this update.

More than 100 of your co-workers showed up in full force for our rally at the City Council on Monday, December 2nd. Our speakers delivered a clear message: We are the backbone of this city’s success, providing essential community safety and public services that residents depend on every day. Together, we’re advocating for respect, fair treatment, and recognition for the critical work we do to keep Palo Alto thriving. See more photos and like our social media post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDH6aTavSII  

Our time to show management we are united is here. Your Bargaining Team is presenting proposals, but management continues to respond without fully addressing our core bargaining principles. 

Who performs the work that the City of Palo Alto demands? WE DO! 

ATTEND A UNITY BREAK AT YOUR WORKSITE
Join a unity break at your worksite and let’s show our collective power.   

• MSC 3201 East Bayshore Road  

Date: Wednesday, December 4, and 11, 2024.
Time: 6:00 am-9:00 am
Location: 3201 E. Bayshore, Palo Alto
Building C Cafeteria
(Coffee and donuts will be provided for the meeting on the 11th)  

• Civic Center and City Hall 

Date: Wednesday, December 4 and 11, 2024
Time: 11:30 am-2:00 pm
Location: 250 Hamilton Avenue (Park Area in Front of City Hall)
(Pizza will be provided for the meeting on the 11th) 

• Elwell Court   

Date: Thursday, December 5 and Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Time: 12:00 pm-1:30 pm 
Location: Breakroom
(Pizza will be provided for the meeting on the 10th) 

• Water Quality Control Plant  

Date: Friday, December 6 and Thursday, December 12, 2024
Time: 11:30 am-2:30 pm 
Location: Breakroom
(Pizza will be provided for the meeting on the 12th) 

RSVP BELOW FOR OUR UPCOMING RALLY AT CITY COUNCIL: 

• Monday, December 16, at 4:30 pm

Click here to RSVP for the City Council meeting. 

 

TENTATIVE AGREEMENTS (TA’s) REACHED:

Article VII Pay Rates and Practices Section 6 Assignment to Lead and Senior Position

Article VII Pay Rates and Practices Section 8 Direct Deposit

Article VIII Sec 1 Work Week and Work Day

Article XIX Grievance and Appeal Procedure

The City of Palo Alto management team has run out of time: not only were our demands for fair, livable wages and affordable healthcare ignored, the city is playing a dangerous game by running out the clock on negotiations. 

Our union is ready to move forward together: our time to show management that we are standing united has arrived! 

Management’s last sub-par proposal offers: 

• 2.75% wage increase each year for a 3-year contract 

• Realignment: 75 percentile market adjustment applied after the COLA 

• • Under management’s current proposal, if your job family is not within the top quartile of the market, you would only get the difference between the COLA and the realignment. 

• $50 monthly flexible compensation in year 1 to address healthcare premium increases 

It’s time for the City of Palo Alto to Invest in its workforce! 

RSVP today for our rally for quality public services on December 2nd at City Hall! 

We Are Stronger Together! 

SEIU 521 City of Palo Alto Bargaining Team

Click here for the bargaining update.

TENTATIVE AGREEMENTS (TA’s) REACHED 

READ FULL TA’S HERE:

TA Article III Union Membership

TA Article VI Sec 4 Release Of Information

TA Article VIII Sec 7. Standby Pay, Call-Out Pay

TA Article XIV Section 5 Long Term Disability Insurance

TA Article XXV Tuition Reimbursement

 

 

Today, we made significant strides in pushing for a contract that addresses our co-workers’ needs. We presented proposals aimed at:

• Making healthcare more affordable.
• Increasing Certification Pay and other premium pay including Bilingual Pay.
• Addressing the need for fair overtime compensation for our chapter’s Public Safety Dispatchers.
• Securing higher compensation for our Records and Communications Training Officers.

Management responded to our wage proposal, and we are still far from achieving the wages we all deserve. Their proposal barely keeps pace with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and falls short of providing a living wage.

WINNING THE BEST CONTRACT STARTS WITH GETTING INVOLVED NOW!

ATTEND A UNITY BREAK AT YOUR WORKSITE

Come and grab a Union T-shirt, get an update on negotiations. Stop by our purple tent or the cafeterias at the following locations:

MSC 3201 East Bayshore Road
Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Time: 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Location: 3201 E. Bayshore, PA CA
Building C Cafeteria (coffee and donuts will be provided)

Civic Center and City Hall
Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: 250 Hamilton Avenue (Park Area in Front of City Hall)
(Pizza will be provided)

Elwell Court
Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Time: 12:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Location: Breakroom (Pizza will be provided)

Water Quality Control Plant
Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Time: 11:30.a.m – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Breakroom (Pizza will be provided)

RSVP Below for Our Upcoming Rallies at City Council:

Tuesday, November 12, 4:30 p.m.
Monday, November 18, 4:30 p.m.
Monday, December 2, at 4:30 p.m.

Click here to RSVP

Your Union’s Bargaining Team presented proposals to Management today to address the lack of livable wages that remain competitive in the market. You and your co-workers made it clear that this is one of our top priorities for this round of negotiations. We shared stories with management about the impact of the rising cost of living and the need for competitive wages to retain a highly qualified workforce. We also presented proposals to address the pay inequities for lead and senior positions, and to strengthen our privacy rights.

“I’ve been here for the last 3 years. Since then, I’ve seen countless people leave to higher-paying jobs. All we want is a livable wage.” Marcelo Arias, Bargaining Team Member

“We are setting the standards as building inspectors. Palo Alto wants to lead the way in electrification and building green. If we want to keep the city as the leader, we need to be able to keep quality employees. Rob McDonald, Bargaining Team Member

Click to SHARE YOUR STORY ON HOW STAGNANT WAGES HAVE AFFECTED YOU

“We Want City of Palo Alto to be the best employer and we need our wages to reflect that. We want people to say this is an awesome place to work and an awesome place to live!” -Nate McClure, Bargaining Team Member

SIGN UP HERE TO HOST A WORKSITE MEETING TO GET UPDATED ON NEGOTIATIONS

Management presented proposals that attempt to limit our appeal rights and access to our union organizer. Their proposal on classification realignments limits you and your coworkers’ rights to appeal giving HR the final say on whether your position needs to be reclassified. Your Bargaining Team REJECTED management’s proposal and let them know we have no interest in takeaways in our union contract!

On a positive note, Management made some movement on our proposal to limit contracting out of jobs in our bargaining unit. We reached an agreement with the City on language that ensures the City will first attempt to fill vacant positions and offer voluntary overtime prior to contracting our work that you and your co-workers are qualified to do.

SUPPORT YOUR BARGAINING TEAM BY PURPLING UP ON BARGAINING DAYS

Our next negotiation session is on Thursday, October 17, 2024.

In Solidarity,
SEIU 521 CITY OF PALO ALTO BARGAINING TEAM

We finished our most recent bargaining session with the City of Palo Alto management this week, where we focused heavily on investment in adequate staffing.

Staffing levels directly affect not only our workload but also the quality of service and safety for everyone.

We reminded management that our team priorities reflect you and your coworker’s priorities; here are the highlights:

• We confronted management over contracting out jobs that would otherwise go to you and your coworkers.
• Estimated wages for five-man crew for 5 days a week = $72,000.00/week or $3.5mil/annually, even setting aside over $360/hr for one worker. Our workforce provides more services at a lower cost by offering: 24/7 standby, emergency response, underground construction, and customer service work.
• We made it clear that inadequate staffing is unsustainable. We are pushing for a commitment from the management to fix the vacancy issue, give priority to our workforce for promotional opportunities and provide additional pay to those who are working out of class because of short staffing.
• Management’s proposals were focused on clean up language on leave of absence provisions and personnel actions to comply with the law and made no substantial improvements to our union contract.

Your Involvement Matters! 

It will take all of us to win a fair contract.  We need to make sure everyone is staying informed and help spread the word.  Together, we can make sure management invests in staffing and gives us the support we need, unity is our strength!

Sign up to be a CAT by clicking here!

Click to become a member today.

Purple up on bargaining days to show management we are united! Our next bargaining session is set for Monday, September 23, 2024.

In Solidarity,

Your SEIU 521 City of Palo Alto Bargaining Team

Tuesday, September 3rd was our first day of negotiations with the City of Palo Alto. management team which included:

Charles Sakai of Sloan and Sakai; Ben Farnsworth, Senior HR Administration; Sandhya Uthup, HR Employee Relations; Matt Zucca, Assistant Director WGW; Oscar Godinez, Manager of Public Works Operations; Alex Perez, Division Head of Libraries; and Steve Castille, Assistant Director of Community Services and Parks.

We started the session by putting our best foot forward and following up with Management on information requests that we sent in July.  We gave them a deadline of September 17th to provide us with the necessary information to start drafting proposals that will benefit you and your co-workers.

Your Bargaining Team presented Management with our Bargaining Principles, which are based on what you and your co-workers identified as priorities for this round of bargaining.

You can view the Bargaining Principles here and sign your name to show your support.

It will take all of us standing united to win a fair contract!  Join the Contract Action Team today! CAT Sign Up Form

Purple up on Bargaining Days 
Next bargaining date: September 12, 2024

Our strength lies in our numbers!  Activate your union membership and encourage your coworkers to do the same.