Workers announced a strike date and delivered remarks around the alleged illegal actions taken against them and the Board of Supervisors’ failure to deliver promised public services – the result of chronic short-staffing and the failure to pay competitive wages to front-line Kern County workers.
Bakersfield, CA – Kern County workers, represented by Service Employees International Union Local 521, held a press action on Thursday, February 20th announcing their intent to hold a 1-day strike over Unfair Labor Practices on Wednesday, March 5th at all county locations.
County workers who will be taking part in the Unfair Labor Practice strike include Road and Yards, Human Services, Public Health, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, Assessors, Elections, Libraries, and others.
“The only way to fix the obstacles we see in our community stemming from poor working conditions is through withholding our labor when we see a failure to act from the Board of Supervisors, said Rosario Romero, Kern County Human Services Supervisor, and SEIU 521 Member. “We do not want to strike but the County’s Unfair Labor Practices have forced us to. Too many experienced workers are leaving every day as a result of low pay and short-staffing.”
During the press action, county workers outlined the alleged unlawful interference with the County in workers’ rights to bargain collectively, including
o interrogating and coercing employees from taking part in union activity
o denying access to union stewards and representatives in violation of the terms of the expired collective bargaining agreement,
o and retaliation against multiple workers for their union activity
Workers shared examples of the impacts on the community when departments responsible for public safety, emergency response, and essential services are chronically short-staffed, have high caseloads, non-competitive wages, and poor staff retention, making Kern County less safe and healthy compared to the state average.
According to the most recent County Annual Comprehensive Fiscal Reports over the last three years, the Board of Supervisors has failed to use over $532 million in budgeted dollars for county services and has diverted funds now totaling over $850 million into “restricted funds.” These “restricted funds” include hundreds of millions that have been allocated by the State of California specifically for purposes such as mental health and public safety.
Click here to download the Fix Kern White Paper for key findings.
Speakers Included:
- Alicia Aleman, Kern County Social Worker and SEIU 521 Kern County Chapter President
- Rosario Romero, Kern County Human Services Supervisor
- Dr. Chris Cruz Boone, Bakersfield City School District Trustee
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Service Employees International Union, Local 521 represents 53,000 public- and nonprofit, private-sector workers in California’s Bay Area, the Central Coast, 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.
