SEIU 521 City of Santa Cruz Chapter
Restore Santa Cruz! Your 2025 Contract Campaign Page!
On this page, you will find an overview of our campaign activities, important updates, meeting information, and media of our solidarity at work.
Updated – 11/19/2025
UPDATES
Tentative Agreement Ratified by a 93% Supermajority!
- SEIU 521 City of Santa Cruz workers have ratified their new contract with an overwhelming supermajority — they secured major wins for workers and community.
- • 13.5% wage increase over three years + compounding longevity pay
- • Protected healthcare for workers and families
- • Expanded hazard pay, bilingual pay, and shift differentials
- • Reduced CalPERS contributions
- • Stronger workplace safety standards and trauma-response protections
- • $2,000 tool reimbursement for workers
- • Compensation study + salary benchmarks to keep pace with local costs
- • A pathway to permanency for nearly 400 temp workers, tackling chronic understaffing
- Greater accountability from management and a more respectful, transparent workplace.
- This contract is a win for workers, families, and every Santa Cruz resident who depends on strong public services.
SEIU 521 — We keep Santa Cruz running.
Tentative Agreement Reached!
After months of negotiations, workplace actions, and a strong community campaign, Santa Cruz City workers have won a Tentative Agreement (TA) that delivers historic raises, stronger safety protections, and meaningful steps toward workplace equity. Our 800 city workers will soon vote on the agreement during a ratification vote scheduled for November 12. Once approved, the new contract will avert a potential strike and lock in long-term improvements that benefit both workers and residents.
Big Wins for City Workers and the Community
The agreement includes 13.5% in across-the-board cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) over three years — a major move toward fair pay and market parity for local public service workers. It also eliminates the City’s mandatory 2.5% employee retirement contribution and reduces CalPERS employee contributions to zero over the life of the contract.
Additional gains include:
- Bilingual pay for employees serving Santa Cruz’s diverse community
- Compounding longevity pay to reward experience and dedication
- Increased reimbursements for mechanics’ tools, helping maintain the city’s vehicles and infrastructure
Safety and Dignity at the Forefront
Workers also secured enhanced safety provisions that reflect the real risks public employees face every day. The agreement adds Paid Trauma Leave, giving employees a full day of paid leave if they experience a traumatic incident on duty, and increases Hazard Pay for high-risk positions. Updated workplace safety protocols will further strengthen protections and restore confidence in city operations.
“These improvements represent a major victory for Santa Cruz City workers and our residents,” said Ken Bare, SEIU 521 City of Santa Cruz Chapter President. “We will move closer to market standards and bring classifications closer to parity. We are proud to have earned the respect and dignity we have fought so hard to restore—especially when it comes to safety and respect for our workforce.”
CITY WORKERS AUTHORIZE A CITYWIDE STRIKE BY 96%!
CITY WORKERS VOTE TO STRIKE: WE’RE READY TO STAND UP FOR SANTA CRUZ
Today was powerful. Hundreds of City of Santa Cruz workers came together and made our voices heard — we voted overwhelmingly to authorize a ULP (Unfair Labor Practice) strike, with 96% rejecting the City’s last, best, and final offer.
At today’s vote and rally outside City Hall, workers from across every department sent a clear message: the City must invest in its workforce and in the public services that keep our community safe, healthy, and strong.
As we move forward, we are preparing for all possibilities — including setting a strike date. Our next bargaining sessions with the City will take place on October 30 and November 4, where we will enter mediation. We remain committed to fighting for a fair contract that values our labor and protects public services for the future.
Our campaign has also captured the attention of local media. Workers have courageously spoken out about unsafe conditions, harassment, and surveillance by management. These stories are resonating across Santa Cruz and shining a light on what’s at stake:
📰 City of Santa Cruz union members to hold strike authorization vote amid stalled negotiations – Lookout Santa Cruz
📰 Library Workers Speak Out About Safety – Santa Cruz Sentinel
📰 Editorial: Making the Downtown Santa Cruz Library Safe – Santa Cruz Sentinel
📰 Strike Authorization Coverage – Santa Cruz Sentinel
Our strength is in our numbers. Every worker counts. If you haven’t yet joined the union, now is the time to stand with your coworkers.
👉 Activate your SEIU 521 membership here.
CONTRACT ACTION TEAM (CAT)
Our CAT team is made up of city workers across departments who keep coworkers informed and ready to act. CAT members are the backbone of our movement — leading unity breaks, sharing updates, and showing management that we are united.
👉 Join the CAT team here.
Together, we’re showing what real power looks like. The City must confront the issues we’ve raised — from unsafe workplaces to understaffed departments — and come to the table ready to reach a fair, just, and respectful contract.
When we fight, we win. When we show up together, we make change.
CITY WORKERS ARE COMMITTED TO AUTHORIZING A STRIKE!
Button: SIGN STRIKE COMMITMENT HERE: https://forms.gle/8DbDBycfkcvFW6qq6
Dear {{FirstName}},
We are far from reaching the increases needed to close the gaps identified by our compensation study and the lack of health and safety reforms.Worse, we’re extremely disappointed in this city’s last and final economic offer:
- Year one- 3.5%,
- Year two- 4%,
- Year three- 3%
Link to Final Offer: [INSERT LINK TO FINAL OFFER] @Sarah Wilson
We must be ready to show Santa Cruz we are prepared to strike. Despite agreeing to enter mediation to try and make a deal, negotiations are broken.
Since we began bargaining, we believe the city has committed several illegal actions against union members, leaving us no choice but to file Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges with the Public Employees Relation Board. In response, we are preparing for an ULP STRIKE.
As reported in the Santa Cruz Sentinel we will not accept substandard treatment from the city or its inability to properly manage our workforce. By now, we have had hundreds of workers sign strike cards either on paper or through this strike commitment form: https://forms.gle/8DbDBycfkcvFW6qq6
We are asking all workers in the City of Santa Cruz to COMMIT to STRIKE, if mediation fails and they attempt to force a sub-par contract on our union. We are ready to take action and FIGHT for a fair contract that increases our wages, and removes our burden of the city’s CalPERS contribution, while improving health and safety standards.
[@Sarah Wilson insert line break in email here]
NEXT STEPS – SIGN COMMITMENT, VOTE, AND SHOW UP
We will hold a one hour long general membership meeting from 12-1pm and 1:30pm-2:30pm (travel time included). We encourage everyone to take your lunch before or after the meeting.
Here, we will vote on the city’s final offer – found here: [INSERT LINK]
HOW, WHEN, AND WHERE TO VOTE
CONTRACT VOTE TIMELINE
Starts: Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 12pm End: Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 at 2:30pm
BALLOT LANGUAGE:
Yes: I accept the City’s “Last, Best, and Final Offer”
No: I reject the City’s offer and vote to authorize a STRIKE.
Our bargaining team is recommending a NO vote, to reject the offer and vote to authorize a STRIKE!
Our vote will ONLY be in-person at the general membership meetings.
These meetings will be different – they will only be ONE hour long for each meeting. However, you will get the travel time before and after the meeting time to get to the Civic Auditorium. Lunch will be provided.
METHOD OF VOTING
Per the bylaws, the ratification vote will be held IN PERSON at the general membership meeting at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 from 12pm to 3pm.
Click here to update your contact information by Thursday, October 16, 2025: www.seiu521.org/signup
ELIGIBILITY TO CAST VOTE
Only full dues-paying members are eligible to vote on the offer. If you are not a current member or are unsure, or to avoid receiving a provisional ballot, sign up to become a member by Monday October 20th, 2025: https://members.seiu521.org/SEIU521MembershipApplicationExternal.aspx
SANTA CRUZ CITY WORKERS SPEAK OUT ABOUT SAFETY ISSUES
⚠️ City of Santa Cruz workers face regular harassment and assaults on the job. Current policies force them to choose between their safety and doing their work. No one should ever be in that position. City leaders must take action—and work with our union to make real reforms happen. 📖 #WorkerSafety #SantaCruz #SEIU521 #PublicServiceWorkers
Read more here:https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/10/03/santa-cruz-public-libraries-workers-speak-out-about-alleged-harassment-assaults/
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08/06/25
Yesterday, we completed our sixth bargaining session. During the last bargaining cycle, we proposed our economic plan which is designed to keep city wages competitive and prevent an exodus of employees, due to the spiraling cost of living. We’re back where we were three years ago: the City is trying to limit us to one pot of money and refuses to address the safety issues and violence that we deal with on a daily basis.
Negotiations are stalled over all salary and economic discussions. The City wants to leverage their entire economic proposal on the results of the salary study, leaving our bargaining in limbo as they hold onto anti-worker non-economics. It is our understanding we will receive the results of the salary study on Monday, August 25, 2025. Our team will review the results at our next bargaining session scheduled for Wednesday, August 27, 2025.
Once we receive the study, we will have a better economic picture, but we know in this round of negotiations, the City has money.
City negotiators are forecasting the new comp study will show the city workforce is vastly underpaid and are coming to the same conclusion that we have known for years – we are EXTREMELY underpaid.
We’re trying to restore our member’s livelihood in Santa Cruz by proposing higher COLAs, new steps, longevity increases, and new retirement benefits. The city must make us whole, but we want to make clear our membership must get involved if we are going to win! Collective action and solidarity will make a difference to winning a great contract.
NEXT STEPS
In the coming weeks we will go to City Council chambers on September 9 to demand movement in our contract. We’ll speak with councilmembers and politicians at the Labor Day rally in Watsonville – we need City workers to show up in force to address our politicians and union siblings. RSVP HERE
Our next bargaining session is scheduled for Wednesday, August 27, 2025, as we hope to see the result of the salary study then.
Reminder: Be sure to purple-up every Wednesday! All CATs (Contract Action Team) are strongly encouraged to show up in force during work breaks to demonstrate our strength and unity at the bargaining table!
CONTRACT ACTION TEAM (CAT)
Our CAT team consists of fellow members across city worksites and departments. They ensure our coworkers are up to date with the latest regarding negotiations and alerts related to taking collective action. Click here to join our CAT team.
7/25/2025
This week, we met with the City for our fourth bargaining session of contract negotiations.
In this session we:
- Proposed our economic plan designed to keep City wages competitive and prevent an exodus of employees due to the spiraling cost of living.
- Proposed new service protections that will create job security and improvements to quality of life for our members.
- Rejected almost all of the City’s anti-worker proposals including increases to probation, restrictions on vacation time use, and broadening managerial powers.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD
City negotiators continued to propose a probationary period extension from six months to one year. The City claims the additional time will allow managers to observe and train employees, but in reality WE train our coworkers. Extending probation will not change the fact that managers do not do their job.
Some employees have gone years without an evaluation, despite maintaining 244 managers to 430 SEIU employees. That’s MORE than a 1:2 manager to employee ratio and the City wants to blame line-staff for the failure of their leadership.
We refuse to be punished by a longer probation period that opens the door to abuse – like punitive policies which would forbid new and senior employees from using their PTO during probation. We will not let management off the hook for this advancement.
City workers keep Santa Cruz running. We demand accountability for bloated management which must end, and we will protect employees who actually DO their jobs.
CalPERS
The City took issue with our proposal for them to reassume paying the employer’s cost of CalPERS. Their attorney claimed how covering the employer’s portion was a BENEFIT for our unit when labor costs increased for them. Years ago, employees agreed to shoulder this contribution to help the City through hard times. We made that sacrifice in good faith, but now that our community is financially in a better place, it’s time for the City to pay their fair share.
NEXT STEPS
Our next bargaining session is scheduled on August 6th, 2025, 9a.m. to 1p.m.
Reminder: Be sure to purple-up every Wednesday!
All CATs are strongly encouraged to show up in force during work breaks to demonstrate our strength and unity at the bargaining table!
CONTRACT ACTION TEAM (CAT)
Our CAT team consists of fellow members across city worksites and departments. They ensure our coworkers are up to date with the latest regarding negotiations and alerts related to taking collective action. Click here to join our CAT team.
Rebuild. Restore. Respect: City Workers Are Fighting for the Future of Santa Cruz!
City of Santa Cruz workers are the backbone of this city—quietly and consistently holding up the services and infrastructure our entire community relies on. From the streets we drive on to the water we drink, from our libraries and community centers to the very shoreline that defines Santa Cruz—it’s public workers who make this city work.
But today, that backbone is being stretched to its breaking point.
Neglect, disrepair, and underinvestment have taken a toll. From the erosion of West Cliff Drive to the collapse at the Wharf, we’re seeing the results of what happens when we fail to invest in infrastructure—and the people who maintain it. The City of Santa Cruz cannot afford to wait for the next disaster to take action. We must rebuild what’s been lost and restore a public sector that can meet the challenges ahead.
OUR 2025 CONTRACT BARGAINING PRINCIPLES
Click below to download our bargaining principles!
Bargaining for a Better Santa Cruz
In 2022, City workers stood together and went on strike—demanding that the City stop breaking the law and start investing in the services our community needs. We made progress, but we’re still far from where we need to be.
Now, in 2025, we’re back at the table—fighting for dignity, stability, and the future of our city.