FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 27
Contact: Victor Gamiz, Communications Specialist
Victor.gamiz@seiu521.org | 602-335-9282
SEIU members in Fresno vow to stick together: “No Court case will stand in our way”
Redouble efforts to unite more working people in unions, hold politicians accountable for creating good, union jobs
Fresno, Calif. – Members of SEIU Local 521 in Fresno joined their brothers and sisters across the country today to declare their resolve to stick together in their union. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a long-expected decision in the Janus case that was backed by anti-worker extremists seeking to divide them, SEIU members remain dedicated to sticking together, uniting more working people—white, black and brown—in unions and holding politicians accountable for creating more good, union jobs.
“Right now, America needs unions jobs more than ever. Despite the political attacks on working people, my coworkers and I are standing strong with our union to send a message to the billionaires of the world: you will not divide us”, said Riley Talford, SEIU Local 521 member and Fresno County Supervising Juvenile Correctional Officer.
SEIU Local 521 members will be using #WeRise on social media to show their unity in the face of the Supreme Court’s decision. Working people who are organizing to win their unions are also using the hashtag to publicly call for more good, union jobs.
“As the working people of our country continue to be under constant assault, we now have a Supreme Court decision that would further rig the system against working families. The Central Valley Partnership stands with American workers, the backbone of our society,” said Michael Evans, Director of the Central Valley Partnership.
SEIU members, Family Child Care Providers, allies and Union activists know that when working men and women join together in union, they gain the power in numbers to raise wages, win affordable healthcare and make a dignified retirement possible.
“Today’s US Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME further rigs the rules of the economy in favor of the wealthy special interests who want to divide us against each other. Despite this decision, SEIU 521 members are committed to standing together in our union to negotiate a fair return on our work while protecting and expanding the good, middle-class union jobs that all of America needs,” said Riko Mendez, Chief Elected Officer of SEIU Local 521. “Working people whether white, black, or brown will join together across racial differences to fight for our future, just like we won better wages, safer workplaces, and civil rights in our past. For California to be a place of freedom for all, we cannot let the greedy few and the politicians they pay for divide us against each other.”
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Service Employees International Union, Local 521 represents 40,000 public- and nonprofit, private-sector workers in the California’s 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.
