FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 27
Contact: Valerie Prigent, valerie.prigent@seiu521.org, 408-571-9894
SEIU members in San Mateo County 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
Redwood City, Calif.– Members of SEIU Local 521 in San Mateo County joined working people 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 wealthy special interests seeking to divide them, SEIU members remain dedicated to sticking together. Working people, whether white, Black or brown, are uniting in unions and holding politicians accountable for creating more good, union jobs.
“We are working tirelessly to educate our co-workers and community on the importance of organized labor and workers’ rights, so that we can continue to provide quality services, and fight for good union jobs,” said Lupe Gutierrez, Patient Services Assistant II at the Fair Oaks Health Center and Chapter Chair of San Mateo County SEIU Local 521. “San Mateo County workers are proud to stand strong with working people of all races across California and the U.S. Together we rise!”
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.
“It has long been demonstrated that our communities are well served by a thriving labor movement and strong unions, lifting wages and standards for all workers regardless of whether they are union members,” said Julie Lind Rupp, Executive Officer/Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the San Mateo Labor Council. “From the 8-hour day to overtime laws, from occupational safety and health protections to career pathways into construction, from paid family leave to workers comp and unemployment insurance, the labor movement helps make our economy strong and our workforce empowered. The highest court in the land should not have been used to rig the rules of the economy, but no matter this decision we will never stop fighting, never stop speaking up and speaking out, and we will NEVER stop standing together.”
SEIU members, 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.
