Stanislaus County Workers Reject Managements Last, Best, and Final Offer
Members Vote to Continue Strike Into 2nd Week; Call on the Board of Supervisors to Address the Work Stoppage Impacting Vital Public Services.
Modesto, CA – On Thursday January 10, County workers made up of social workers, child support specialists, veterans’ support providers, investigators, controllers, mental health clinicians, behavioral health specialists, and therapists, community service workers, community psychologists, animal control, librarians and others approved to send Stanislaus County Managements Last, Best and Final contract offer to members for a vote. Following an all-day vote on Friday January 11 throughout more than 30 county sites, members voted overwhelmingly to reject the offer vowing to continue the indefinite unfair labor practice strike.
No matter where we come from or what our background is, most people want pretty similar things. Working people—whether white, Black, or brown—want to be able to provide for our families and loved ones, and be treated with dignity and respect. But because the Board of Supervisors’ has refused to invest in improving access to the critical services our community needs – especially our community’s most vulnerable residents, hundreds of County frontline workers will continue to be on strike which has now gone on for a week.
“We have consistently been transparent with our members throughout our negotiations, and the result of this vote has validated the concerns we have expressed to Management and the Board of Supervisors,” said Kate Selover, Child Officer II and Chapter President. “It’s time the Board of Supervisors take a hard look at the crisis they are bestowing on our community by allowing this work stoppage to continue.”
Stanislaus County can afford this, deliberately choosing not to invest in social services is a disservice to our community.
“We have been without a contract since July 1st, and throughout our discussions with Management we have repeatedly made movement at the table, in order to show that we are willing to work with the County to come to an agreement,” said Karyn Clark, Behavioral Health Specialist II and Bargaining Team member. “The County has refused to make an offer that addresses the retention and turnover crisis facing workers, instead they have decided to punish our members for standing up for their rights and advocating for the communities we serve.”
County workers will remain on the strike and will return to the picket-line on Monday January 14 until an agreement is reached.
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Service Employees International Union, Local 521 represents public-sector workers in Stanislaus County and across the Central Valley. We are committed to making sure the needs of our community and the vital services we provide 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.
