MEDIA ADVISORY FOR
Monday, July 11, 2016
Contact: Katherine Small, (714) 515-0217
Monterey County Workers Prepare to Strike
SEIU Local 521 members rally to demand accountability
Salinas, Calif. – While Monterey County’s contract with its 3,000 union workers expired June 30, negotiations are continuing. Members of Service Employees International Union Local 521 are staging a final rally to call on the Board of Supervisors to address healthcare inequality and rein in management perks.
The County’s most recent contract proposals would require county workers to pay 46% more in out-of-pocket healthcare contributions than top-earning executives. Meanwhile, under CAO Lew Bauman’s leadership, Monterey County has spent upwards of $8 million in the past 3 years in vacation buyouts and management perks, while continually refusing to invest in frontline workers.
At the Board of Supervisors meeting on July 12, the County will discuss current negotiations in a closed session. Members of SEIU 521 will rally on the evening prior to the Board meeting in an attempt to convince the County to invest in workers and the communities they serve. Negotiations reconvene on Tuesday afternoon and continue into Wednesday; if the County fails to offer a fair contract proposal that reins in out-of-control management perks, members are prepared to go on strike.
WHAT: Rally at Monterey County Government Center
WHEN: Monday, July 11 at 5:15 p.m.
WHERE: 168 W. Alisal St, Salinas
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Service Employees International Union, Local 521 represents 40,000 public- and nonprofit, private-sector workers in the central Bay Area region and in the Central Valley. Under a Community First vision, we are committed to making sure the needs of our community, and the vital services we provide our community, come first. We believe our communities thrive when residents, leaders and workers recognize that we are all in this together when it comes to our safety, health, and well-being.
