Media Advisory
May 26, 2015
Contact:
Darlene Sevilla, (925) 978-6244
Khanh Weinberg, (408) 921-0098
Santa Cruz City Workers Prepare to March, Face Arrests
Workers and residents will march today from downtown demanding living wage, affordable housing
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – After seven years of stagnant wages, city workers who have been economically shut out of Santa Cruz will march from Town Clock to City Hall on Tuesday, May 26, to hand-deliver a letter from the community to the City Council—demanding a response to the need for a living wage, affordable housing and community investment for all.
WHO: Community members and city workers including sanitation workers, landscapers, parking attendants, administrative personnel, library clerks, waste water workers, and public works employees.
WHAT: A rally and civil disobedience action to protest City Council’s inaction
WHEN: 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 26
WHERE: Town Clock (then to City Hall)
Mission St. (between N. Pacific Ave. and Knight Street), Santa Cruz, CA 95060
VISUALS: Streams of workers in purple marching through downtown with bullhorns, posters and clappers. Workers flooding into City Hall with community letter before City Council.
With signs that Santa Cruz has recovered from the recession, such as a balanced city budget and bonuses paid to its city leaders, city workers remain behind. The city pays an average of only $34,000 per year—about half of the median income for Santa Cruz County—to its workers such as landscapers, sanitation drivers, administrative personnel, library workers and parking attendants. These workers qualify for housing subsidies to afford rent in Santa Cruz. Similar to fast-food workers and their fight for economic justice, Santa Cruz’s low-wage city workers are dedicated to uplifting the community by fighting for living wages, affordable housing and community re-investment to benefit all.
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The Service Employees International Union is an organization of 2.1 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. SEIU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. For more information, visit www.seiu521.org
