Solano County support unions get ready to strike

Area labor unions say staffing shortages are not staying sufficiently dealt with. As their negotiations with Solano County carry on, two neighborhood provider staff unions are prepared to strike if the difficulty is not solved by the time contracts expire Oct. 21.

Customers of Support Staff Global Union (SEIU) Regional 1021 and Worldwide Federation of Specialist and Complex Engineers (IFPTE) Neighborhood 21 are adamant that they do not want to see that materialize. But in preparing, the unions hosted a “strike school” Friday at Joseph Nelson Local community Heart in Suisun Town.

Between the lessons were what employees’ legal rights are, what they can and can not do in a strike, polices, the legality of strikes and more.

“It’s the place that you go to seriously learn about what strike is and what strike is not,” Elizabeth Harrison, SEIU 1021 spot agent, claimed. “It’s the place that we go to prepare… We’re not hanging, but this is how we learn what it is so that people today are not going out blindly.”

In accordance to union representatives, there are far more than 480 vacant work positions during Solano County that have not been stuffed. Personnel have been hoping to negotiate new contracts to switch all those from 2019 established to expire Oct. 21. Harrison — also a social worker for Adult Protective Providers — reported this has led to recruitment and retention challenges, which in convert has created low morale.

“The county is hemorrhaging good talent,” she reported. “We’re speaking about folks who are at entry-stage positions, all the way up to significant-level management, persons are vacating the county in droves. The added benefits, the perform setting, all individuals points are not enough to hold folks here.”

Even when the county hires new employees, Harrison stated they seem to exit at a quicker charge.

“They arrive in the entrance doorway, they go proper out the again in quantities speedier than what Solano can preserve up with,” she mentioned. “The greatest difficulty with that is having a comprehensive package that will not only recruit the ideal talent but also keep them. That’s truly what we’ve been working with for really a though now.”

Each unions introduced these concerns up to the Solano County Board of Supervisors during the community comment area at its Sept. 13 meeting, but because it was not on the agenda, no action could be taken.

Dae Kim, senior animal manage officer, said the county at first “blew us off” but grew to become a very little additional receptive throughout the negotiations method.

“They are even now dragging their feet,” he claimed.

With the Oct. 21 deadline looming, Kim does not anticipate the make any difference will be fixed by then.

“There is motion, for confident, at the negotiation desk, but it is moving very gradually,” he stated. “We have made substantial progress, but I really don't imagine we’re shut nonetheless to in which we want to be.”

SEIU 1021 consists of staff members in nearby authorities, health and fitness care businesses, faculty districts, county libraries, general public basic safety businesses and extra. IFPTE 21 is composed of specialist and technological staff in sectors these types of as transit, housing, health and fitness treatment and more. With each other, Kim reported the two unions comprise about 75% of county staff members, and this is the 1st time they have labored alongside one another on strike preparations.

“SEIU, IFPTE becoming a member of forces, that’s the epitome of more powerful with each other,” Harrison claimed.

A single of the concerns, Kim stated, is the toll such work opportunities can just take on personnel and how it contributes to morale.

“It’s a quite difficult position,” he explained. “I’m dealing with dying animals. We’re working with people today who effectively commit suicide, and we go over to consider care of the animals because they’re no for a longer period with them, or we’re dealing with homicide victims who have animals, or we’re working with all the traumatic working experience on prime of that. When we just can't deliver a degree of provider that is essential, it compounds that degree of tension and despair.”

Kim also stated understaffing has guide to longer response instances than essential and getting to order his very own materials.

“If I fork out for my uniforms out of my possess pocket, that does not notify me you’re giving me the methods to do my position,” he reported. “On leading of that, there’s products difficulties, officer protection concerns, and for that motive, people are leaving on a substantial scale.”

Harrison said the turnover has led to Solano just about becoming like “the teaching county for the Bay Region.”

“People occur listed here, they keep very long adequate to get some working experience, they could possibly seize a title or anything and then they’re out the doorway,” she said. “So we use our very nicely-needed methods to teach, and then folks are out of the door, working with what they’ve acquired right here and then carrying it off to one more county.”

What Harrison and Kim reported union customers would like to see is a competitive offer that will draw in top quality staff in and make them want to stay. The strike university furnished an update on the bargaining approach, data on the correct to strike and future measures.

Kim mentioned it was significant to be certain workforce have the equipment and the awareness to be well prepared to strike, though he hopes it will not have to come to that.

“My hope is to be capable to be geared up to strike in the celebration that our considerations are not alleviated, but my hope is to not strike,” he explained. “I hope that the contract is signed right before it expires, I hope that the membership is pleased with the contract that we negotiate, but in the occasion that that does not transpire, I hope we will be well prepared to do so.”