UKIAH, 8/1/23 — More than 92 percent of members in the largest union representing county employees, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021, have voted to authorize their bargaining team to call for a strike. No immediate action is anticipated, however, as the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors is in recess until August 29. The union has been working without a labor contract since its 2022/2023 memorandum of understanding expired June 30.
The union represents over 700 county employees including road crews, social workers, librarians and other professionals such as public health personnel. They’ve asked for a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) amid a period of persistent inflation — but the board has asserted there’s no room for that expense in Mendocino County’s $421 million annual budget. 5th District Supervisor Ted Williams stated in June that a 1% COLA for SEIU 1021 would cost roughly $1.3 million and necessitate layoffs. The union has also objected to a proposed increase in employee healthcare and retirement contributions that advocates describe as a de facto pay cut.
SEIU members have repeatedly mustered a large presence at supervisors’ meetings in recent months, prompting the imposition of time limits during public comment on any topic related to contract negotiation. Union representatives also say the county has had a longstanding practice of allowing employees to attend during working hours, but recently discouraged employees from participating by requiring on-duty workers to get permission first from their managers.
SEIU Local 1021 Chapter President Julie Beardsley stated that workers requesting time to attend those meetings have seen their requests denied on multiple occasions. Attorney Tiffany Craine filed an unfair practice charge with the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) on the chapter’s behalf June 20 (for the second time in two years) alleging the county has bargained in bad faith.
Correspondence shows that just after 9:15 a.m. June 5, Human Resources Manager Kao Saeturn emailed a memo containing the following excerpt to department heads and elected officials: “Employees planning to attend Board of Supervisors meetings on union business must be informed that this activity must be conducted on the employee’s own time, and requested in advance… Requests shall not be unreasonably denied.”
A few minutes later, Saeturn sent a second memo regarding contract stipulations affecting Beardsley’s meeting attendance, stating the chapter president (Beardsley) or her designee could be granted up to eight hours of paid leave to attend supervisors’ meetings each month, if the agenda for that meeting included items affecting the union — but that privilege doesn’t extend to union stewards or other members.
The county submitted those emails to the state Public Employment Relations Board as part of its response to SEIU 1021’s unfair practice charge on July 21. HR manager Saeturn issued a blanket denial of any and all unfair practices in a nine-page letter arguing that the memos in question merely “clarified the county’s established practice” and did not constitute a unilateral change in policy.
“The County denies SEIU Local 1021 allegations, inclusive of bargaining in bad faith, failing to provide the Union with a true opportunity to meet and confer over the aforementioned unilateral changes, unilaterally implementing such changes, discriminating against Union supporters, and interfering with protected rights of public employees and the Union,” Saeturn wrote in conclusion, asking the state to dismiss any charges against the county on procedural grounds.
If the union’s allegations stick, PERB may issue a complaint against the county. In that case the labor dispute would be sent to mediation in an effort to negotiate a resolution, according to PERB General Counsel Felix De La Torre.
“If mediation is not successful, the matter is sent to the Division of Administrative Law for a hearing, which is effectively a trial,” De La Torre said in an email to The Voice.
The union’s 104-page unfair practice charge against the county is available here. The county’s full 124-page response is available here — as well as shortened versions containing Saeturn’s letter to the state or the other county correspondence referenced above.
The union’s July 31 press release is as follows:
UKIAH, CA – On Friday July 28, 2023, Mendocino County workers represented by SEIU Local 1021 voted to authorize their bargaining team to call a strike, should a strike become necessary. The strike authorization vote passed overwhelmingly, with 92.4% voting yes.
Despite total revenue for Mendocino County having increased 44.8% since 2019-2020, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has continued to bargain in bad faith with its public health nurses, children’s social workers, road crews, and other employees. In repeated negotiation meetings, the County has insisted that its employees pay more for their healthcare and retirement – an overall pay cut. This effective pay cut will only exacerbate the current staffing crisis by pushing even more County workers to opt for better-paid positions in neighboring counties, cities, and the private sector.
“Our members are frustrated with the lack of leadership from this administration,” said SEIU 1021 Mendocino County Chapter President Julie Beardsley, a senior public health analyst for the county. “Mendocino County has amazing people, natural resources, and the spirit to move forward. This strike authorization is a clear indication that things need to change.”
Mendocino County has a county-wide vacancy rate of 29%. Among the critical staffing shortages jeopardizing the health, safety, and well-being of county residents, including the most vulnerable, are:
- A nearly 40% vacancy rate in Family & Children’s Services — putting at-risk kids in danger;
- A 44% vacancy rate in Department of Transportation road crews, meaning our roads don’t get paved or repaired in a timely manner; and
- A 70% vacancy rate for mental health clinicians.
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SEIU Local 1021 represents nearly 60,000 employees in local governments, non-profit agencies, health care programs, and schools throughout Northern California, including seven private colleges and numerous community colleges. SEIU Local 1021 is a diverse, member-driven organization with members who work to make our cities, schools, colleges, counties, and special districts safe and healthy places to live and raise our families.
