Local News

Paul Martin

March-April 2003

Staffing

We welcome Michael Weinberg and Paul Martin to our staff. Michael is currently working with the San Francisco City and County Chapter. Michael brings more than ten years of experience working on behalf of unionized workers, the last seven as a field representative for SEIU Local 614 in Napa County. Paul is a long time 535 activist and board member from the San Francisco City and County Chapter. He is working with the northern California Kaiser Integrated Behavioral Health Chapter. 

Sylvia Sanchez returned from an extended leave and is back in our San Jose office. Gene Garcia, long time activist for both Locals 535 and 752, began work as field representative in the Fresno office on December 9th. He worked for Fresno County for over 30 years where he held several positions, and most recently worked as a community mental health specialist in Unit 12 where he served as chapter president, secretary, and steward. He is assigned to Fresno County representing Units 3 and 22.

Administrative Services Director Larry Gerber retired in February after almost a lifetime with 535. He began as a member working for Alameda County in 1967, then as a field representative for Local 535, then as field representative and staff director for sister Local 790, and finally winding up his career back home as a senior field representative and administrative services director for Local 535. During his tenure Larry was known for his wisdom, strength, humor, and support to many members, officers, staff, and colleagues. We’ll miss him as he departs on a transcontinental motorcycle trip across the country. We wish him well and expect postcards.

Seth Schapiro has been reassigned from the position of northern regional director to assume the duties of administrative services director. Senior Field Representative Joyce Baird has been appointed as the new northern regional director.

Organizing Updates

Local 535 organizers scored another victory winning an election at Madera Regional Head Start. The unit covers about 80 workers in 11 sites throughout Madera and Mariposa counties who work as teachers, instructional aides, family advocates, home base educators, cooks, bus drivers, dispatchers, janitors, managers of information systems, and statistical analysts. The average salary for these workers is below $10/hour. They provide services to approximately 500 families each year who fall below the poverty level. The executive director of Madera County Community Action, the agency that runs Head Start, is the mayor of Madera. Union busting tactics are being used by management and Local 535 has filed complaints with both the Head Start Bureau and the National Labor Relations Board. This community and political campaign has generated support letters and endorsements from the NAACP, the Mountain Democrats, the Central Democratic Committee, Galica Baptist Church, Mariposa Central Committee, and 535 Madera County COMPA and SEMC chapters. Union victory once again for our members!

On December 13th Workers in Unit 6 of the Fresno County Superior Court voted to approve agency shop 84 to 52. The unit covers 262 workers who work as judicial assistants, office assistants, account clerks, and secretaries. We thank members Cresenda Aranda, Leslie Bjerke, Linda Clay, Kathy Dressel-Ferris, Rosalie Knight, Doreen Perkins, Veronica Palomeres, and Maureen Walsh for all their hard work during this campaign. We also thank staff for their assistance in this victory, Gloria Arroyo, Dung Tran, and Rudy Waller.

In early January we launched another agency shop campaign in Fresno County for the remaining open shop Units 3, 4, 12, and 31, which employ about 3,200 workers. This is the largest single organizing effort for Fresno County workers. We are fortunate to have Jeff Quarles, office assistant from Unit 12, as a member organizer on a full-time basis, and part-time member organizers Mark Deger and Marc LeMessurier from Yosemite. We are recruiting additional member organizers—if you are interested please contact Lisa Edelheit at the Fresno office.

Domestic violence workers at the Glendale YWCA marched on a meeting of their board of directors to demand recognition. The union filed cards with the NLRB from 90% of the workers. An election has been scheduled for March 31st. "This organizing committee is very determined to get a contract," states Local 535 organizer Jim Moreau.

San Francisco
Mayor Brown has responded to the budget crisis facing the City and County of San Francisco by proposing unpaid furloughs of approximately 90 hours per employee. Most of the labor contracts are coming up this year and the mayor has indicated that he wants to negotiate separately with all unions, a move we oppose. Layoffs have already affected Local 790, and are proposed for Local 250.

San Diego

Renee Keester-Wellman

Victory for CWSSan Diego County children's services workers won a small victory when the County Health and Human Services Agency agreed to give them more time to enter their contacts on the CWS/CMS computer system. Recognizing that their primary responsibility is to protect and serve families, the agency agreed to extend the deadlines as follows: for emergency response workers the time was increased from 72 hours to seven days, and in continuing services and adoptions from five days to 21 days. The union committee included Renee Keester-Wellman, Gigi Drummond, Mary Gallatin, Al Davis, Vernon Green, and Omar Lopez. According to bargaining team member Al Davis, "This is a huge improvement and a great step towards making a difficult job more doable.”

Committee members fought hard to get the agency to extend the timelines for children's services workers and they should be congratulated for their efforts. Way to go team!

In Brief
Congratulations to San Diego County Chapter executive board delegate Judi Harris-Kirkham who was elected Democratic Party convention delegate and caucus vice chair at the 76th Assembly District Caucus. San Diego County Chapter activist Luisa Nava was elected convention delegate from the same district. 535 staffer Brian Polejes was appointed as Democratic Party convention delegate by the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee and elected to the executive board by that same group. San Diego member Mary Gallatin has been appointed by Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe. Local 535 COPE/Political Action Committee co-chair and Los Angeles County Chapter executive board delegate Doris Wallace was elected chair of the 63rd Assembly District Caucus and was also a delegate to the Democratic Party convention where she was re-elected chair of the Children’s Caucus. Brian Polejes was elected caucus secretary.