[Sdalliance] Fw: BREAKING: County walks away from mediation

Wed Aug 23 14:01:55 PDT 2017

Fellow Workers and friends, My comments here on the notice (see below) that SEIU sent out to its members (and retirees) at the County. Tomorrow SEIU will test its support amongst the represented workers, with informational pickets. THIS IS NOT STRIKE PICKETS. But it will show how many are willing to be on a picket line (and whether it is enough workers to shut down any of the County's work sites). If you live or work near any of the over 200 County buildings, please take 5 minutes to go by there and do a rough count of the numbers on the picket line (if you see a line). Please let us know the where and how many. The monthly meeting of the IWW San Diego GMB decided that if there is an SEIU strike against the County, we will organize an IWW contingent to go wear our union colors and visibly support the strikers (bringing food, water, etc., to the line, or helping with trash cleanup at the line or ? ) AND we will issue a short statement that we support the striking workers in their struggle for better conditions and for and end to the illegal labor practices of the County BUT we expressly do NOT support SEIU Local 221 President David Garcias and his leadership team. Garcias was recently fired from his position of Vice President of the SD-Imperial Counties Labor Council, by AFL-CIO President Trumpka, along with (former) Labor Council President Kasparian and Secretary-Treasurer Bankhead. Trumpka put the Labor Council under trusteeship (receivership) with temporary appointed officers. Trumpka's action followed lawsuits filed against Kasparian and against the Labor Council alleging sexual harassment. Three lawsuits by different women, including former IWW member Sandy Naranjo. Garcias and Kasparian responded to Trumpka's action by announcing that "their" locals of SEIU and UFCW were withdrawing from membership in the Labor Council and forming a new labor federation. SEIU Local 221 and UFCW Local 135 were the largest local unions in the Labor Council and their withdrawal deprives the Labor Council of a large part of its funding base. Members of Local 221 were not asked or even told that "we" were leaving the Labor Council. Garcias just did it on his own. Garcias was elected President of Local 221 in 2012 in a rigged vote, as the designated heir of the corrupt regime of local presidents which began with the appointment of Sharon-Frances Moore by then International President Andy Stern, and which continued through the rigged election of Erick Banks and then of Garcias. Garcias was quickly adopted by Kasparian as a protégé, and quickly rose through the ranks at the Labor Council, to become its Vice President. The incumbents regime at Local 221 is notorious for ignoring the membership and keeping the membership in the dark about the union's decisions UNLESS the regime thinks it needs "warm bodies" for some show, while more often than not siding with management about worker grievances and discipline cases. Since getting its local charter in 2007, Local 221 has not organized any new groups of workers into the local, but has seen bargaining units vote to decertify SEIU and form new independent unions, from the San Diego Community College District, the City of San Marcos, the City of La Mesa, the County Probation Officers, the County Crafts Unit, the County Construction/Maintenance Unit, the Poway Unified Schools District, and the City of Chula Vista. In its short life as a chartered local since 2007, SEIU Local 221 has had 2 union elections thrown out by the federal Dept of Labor. The membership "density" at Local 221's County Chapter is somewhere around 50 percent. That is, of the roughly 10,000 workers represented by 221 at the County, only about half have joined the union. More than half of the workers, including many actual voting members of the union, do not trust or respect the leadership. When the leadership reported that "thousands" voted by 90 percent "yes" to authorize an unfair practice strike, it turned out that it was actually a little over 2000 who voted. This means that a minority of the represented workers, and actually a minority of actual voting members of the union, stated they support a strike option. The County management is not stupid and they know that SEIU will have a very hard time shutting down any County work sites with such a low level of support. This low level of support might change, if a small number of work sites where support is strongest are targeted for a rolling strike, and if those sites can be solidly shut down. That could be publicized by the union and could build more support to strike other sites as the rolling rolls along. Maybe. However, if SEIU tries to strike and gets most workers crossing the line, the County will probably dig in their heels and SEIU will get one of the worst deals we've seen in decades. It could lead to mass desertions of workers from SEIU at the County. IWW members and supporters need to be aware of all of these factors in play here. IWW did begin an organizing drive of our own at the County last year, and we now have an organizing committee of our SD branch to continue that work. We are not confining our membership drive at the County to the bargaining units represented by SEIU and are seeking new members from all non-management staff at the County. We are also not trying to "raid" any of the existing unions at the County and are not planning to seek decertification/representation elections. We are seeking to organize workers there to have a militant, class conscious vehicle for actually expressing and acting on what they want. Nevertheless, SEIU Local 221 has become a 'poster child' of what is wrong with business unionism (and why the IWW's revolutionary, class struggle, anti-capitalist, democratic unionism is so badly needed today, with nearly 90 percent of workers in the USA lacking any union at all). An Injury to One, is an Injury to All!Monty Kroopkin, IWW San Diego branch memberretired SEIU shop steward and former candidate for SEIU Local 221 President

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2017 13:27:13 -0400

Last night, after the third day of mediated bargaining, county management ended mediation after 3 intense days of work by the bargaining team trying to reach a fair agreement. The bargaining team stands ready to negotiate a fair contract, but unfortunately the County Board of Supervisors is not willing to bargain in good faith. Now is the time to increase our activity and keep the pressure on. As you know, 90% voted to approve a ULP strike to protest the county’s ongoing illegal bargaining practices. The most recent example is the County is creating a false deadline around our flex payment rather than choosing to bargain in good faith.
We don’t want to strike but we are ready!
Here is what is next:
• Tomorrow (Thursday) is informational Unfair Labor Practice picketing. Contact your steward or worksite organizer for materials or details of the picket at your worksite.• All members, your family and friends and allies should call your Supervisor. Details are below.• There will be an emergency CAT Team meeting on Tuesday at 6pm (Location TBD).
Attention: the county will continue to attempt to threaten, divide, distract and bully us. We must stand together and continue to fight to make the County invest in San Diego Families and to force them to bargain in good faith!
CALL THE SUPERVISORS! It is critical that the Board of Supervisors hear directly from San Diego residents over the coming week. Everyone should have friends, family and neighbors call the supervisors directly at the numbers listed below. Tell them that it's time for good faith bargaining and a fair agreement for all San Diego. The Supervisors can avoid a strike from happening if their team starts bargaining in good faith!
 District 1 - Greg Cox - (619) 531-5511 District 2 - Dianne Jacob - (619) 531-5522 District 3 - Kristin Gaspar - (619) 531-5533 District 4 - Ron Roberts - (619) 531-5544 District 5 - Bill Horn - (619) 531-5555 County CAO - Helen Robbins-Meyer - (619) 531-5380
Let's stand together and win!
Tracey Carter, San Diego County Chapter President

SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION LOCAL 221 4004 Kearny Mesa Road, San Diego, CA 92111 - 858-560-0151 "Like" SEIU on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter @SEIU221 | Visit us online at: www.seiu221.org

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