Category: SEIU

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) finds itself in a difficult position. Earlier this year, they promised members a twenty-two percent across the board pay raise for all California state workers that they represent—which is 95,000 of them. Negotiators for the State countered with a ten percent raise over the same period—four years. Then to add insult to injury, the Governor signed the budget without any pay increase for state employees.

The SEIU and other unions fought hard for the fifty percent increase in the minimum wage ($15 per hour) figuring that their members would get a proportional boost in pay. Oh, as a side benefit, the unions also get a boost in the loot they collect in the form of increased dues.

Just so you know, a twenty-two percent increase in worker pay is still less than a five dollar an hour increase for state workers in the bottom rungs of the pay ladder.

Unfortunately for them, the unions are finding themselves left out in the cold with nothing to show their members after working to devalue their pay.

The SEIU stopped negotiating for a new contract in June. There is currently no contract in place. In July, they held a series of townhall meetings to explain their negotiating position and the state offer. Now the SEIU is boxed into the proverbial corner. They made a promise to members but have no face-saving way to move forward. Logically their next step should be a call for a strike authorization vote in August; however, this will put a looming state worker strike front and center in the public eye just in time for the Presidential Election season.

The union needs a strike authorization to get a better deal from the state but doing so would elevate this process to one of national consequences. The political blowback on the Democrat politicians that they worked so hard to elect will get really ugly.

I think the union severely miscalculated and has no good way forward. With 94 million less people in the workforce now than when Barack Obama took office, they will not get much sympathy from the general public. From a political point of view, their timing is horrible. Their endorsed candidate Hillary Clinton will be hurt if this thing blows-up like I think it will.

The SEIU is at an impasse in their contract negotiations with the State of California.

As you will recall, the SEIU was promising workers that they would fight for a 22 percent across the board pay raise for all state employees. This raise would be over a four year period beginning tomorrow, July first. 2 percent of this raise would go to employee retirement.

Today I learned that the state has offered a ten percent raise over four years (the same time period) with 3.5 percent going to employee retirement.

As you may recall from contact law, a condition of a valid contract is a “meeting of the minds”. Clearly the sides are far apart.

To add insult to injury—at least in the view of SEIU—the Governor already signed the budget. The new fiscal year does not have any part of a 22 percent state employee pay increase in it. In addition, the Governor has been predicting deficits in future years. (These future years just happen to be about four years in the future.)

A few minutes ago, the SEIU released a statement which reads in part:

After three months of bargaining in good faith, our negotiations with the state have reached a crossroads. In an era of healthy state finances, our bargaining team feels that the state’s offer does not meet the priorities that you shared with us through town halls and bargaining surveys.

The SEIU plan seems predictable at this point:
• First, hold a series of town hall meetings around the state to work up the frenzy of members to their cause
• Call for a strike authorization as a bargaining weapon
• Strike just before Labor Day

I think the SEIU is hoping that Brown’s diversion of money into the “rainy day fund” is in fact money that they can get from the state to make this pay increase happen.

Because of the SEIU backing of the statewide minimum wage increase to $15 per hour, anything less than a 22 percent wage increase will hurt much of their membership—especially at the rank-and-file level.

Taxpayers and business owners of California, lest you thought that our beloved Legislature was done with you, think again. The other shoe is about to drop on your fiscal head.

While you are toiling away at your jobs with the shadow of a fifteen dollar an hour minimum wage hanging over your head, standby. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has big plans for you. They are advocating an across the board 22 percent raise for all state workers that they represent. Of this, two percent of this increase will go towards retirement.

SEIU Flyer

Still time to go to Texas or face the wrath of these economically illiterate elites running this crazy state.

KOVR TV is reporting that

Yesterday, SEIU 1000 President Yvonne Walker told members that the union’s council voted “voted unanimously authorizing the union’s officers to seek member support for concerted actions up to and including a strike to protect our members’ pay, benefits and job security.”

What a gift to Governor Schwarzenegger. Now all he has to do is fire the Union when they strike and start over. The Governor could do to SEIU what President Reagan did to the air traffic controllers. This way the Democrats get to whine about the evil Republicans and the Governor gets the most sweeping civil service reform in my lifetime. The Republicans can finally fix the system.

Hey MS Walker, go ahead make my day.