City of Fairfield recognizes union for part-time employees

"400 City of Fairfield Part-Time Employees Form Association with Northern California’s Largest Public Employees’ Union, SEIU 1021; City of Fairfield City Council Unanimously Approves Part-Time Employees’ Contract that Guarantees Fair Disciplinary Process for Workers"
2014-01-23 from "SEIU Local 1021" [http://www.seiu1021.org/2014/01/23/400-city-of-fairfield-part-time-employees-form-association-with-northern-californias-largest-public-employees-union-seiu-1021/]:
Fairfield, CA – On Tuesday, January 21st, the City of Fairfield City Council voted unanimously to recognize the Fairfield Part-Time Employees Association (FPTEA) and to approve its members’ first contract with the City. The newly formed FPTEA represents approximately 400 part-time employees and is proud to be part of SEIU 1021, Northern California’s largest union of public employees. SEIU 1021 represents over 54,000 workers who help make Northern California cities, counties, special districts, and public healthcare facilities run.
The new contract covers part-time workers across the City of Fairfield, including the police department, community centers, the Allan Witt Aquatic Center and the City’s afterschool programs. The first-ever contract for City of Fairfield part-time workers guarantees a fair disciplinary process that would promote cooperation and communication between workers and Management. The grievance process would allow part-time workers to voice out their concerns and a way to have these concerns addressed fairly and expeditiously.
SEIU 1021 is leading the way in organizing temporary and part-time public employees and securing contracts that create greater workplace stability, benefits, and protections for all workers.
“This is a huge win for City of Fairfield workers,” said Susan Avent, a part-time instructional aide for Fairfield’s children’s programs. “It strengthens the partnership between part-time workers and the City and helps us come together to begin addressing the issues confronting part-time workers and the communities we serve.”
The addition of 400 workers is part of a wave of organizing victories for SEIU 1021 and California’s thriving labor movement. Last year, more than 1,200 workers joined SEIU 1021, while hundreds of thousands of workers have joined unions in the state of California in recent years.

Worker Power! New magazine for organizing labor, for our rights, families and our communities!

"Arm yourself for 2014, with SEIU 1021!"
2013-01-22 message from Roxanne Sanchez, SEIU 1021 President:
The rights and protections we have fought decades to achieve are under relentless attack. Our employers are emboldened by the growing aggressiveness and arrogance of well-financed corporate interests.
To win for our families and our communities, we must fight smarter and more strategically with the best weapon we have: the strength and solidarity of our 54,000-member-strong union.
We win when we take back our power at work. We win when we turn back the tide of concessions and improve standards. We win when we stand with our allies in the community and fight for social and economic justice.
This year, we battled bad bosses, we won better contracts, and we began changing public opinion, one campaign at a time.
This year we saw all of 1021 speaking up against anti-union tactics, holding firm our beliefs as well as our picket lines across Northern California. Battle-tested, we end 2013 and enter 2014 with a renewed sense of purpose and spirit.
The Labor Movement is alive and well in 1021. Our weapon -- our ability to act collectively, with vision and conviction - will continue to bring us victories.
From the debut issue of "Worker Power" -- SEIU 1021's new quarterly newsletter. Stories in Issue 1 include:
* Standing Up to Privatization: Our schools, our communities, and our jobs are not for sale
* Winning Public Opinion One Campaign at a Time
* Defending Collective Bargaining Rights in California: How BART workers are taking a stand against union busting
Look for it soon at your worksite.