SEIU Local 521 declares victory on Measure O based on the latest numbers from the Fresno County Elections Department. With only 27,000 votes left to be counted and Measure O trailing by 3,120 votes, it is extremely unlikely that Measure O can succeed. Even if the ballot measure were to get 55 percent of the remaining votes, it would still fail. It is now clear that Fresno County voters understood that Measure O does not serve the public’s interest.
Laura Basua, a Job Specialist for the Fresno County Department of Social Services and the Fresno County Chapter President for SEIU Local 521 said, “The voters have defeated Supervisor Poochigian’s attempt to take away good paying jobs from Fresno County and hurt our economy. We call on all the supervisors to work with their employees and their legal recognized representatives to resolve issues at the bargaining table, not through the ballot box.
“It is a waste of taxpayers’ dollars for the supervisors to author these types of measures, and we’re hopeful that today they can learn from the people they are elected to represent.”
Basua also mentioned Proposition 32, the Paycheck Deception Act: “Prop 32 was a galvanizing force for labor. While some people thought it would distract us, it actually brought us together. We not only passed Prop. 30 and defeated Prop. 32, we won more seats this year at the state and local levels than anyone thought possible. Our members fought back bad legislation at all levels of government and we had great victories all over.”
