SEIU Local 535

home

Posted March 29,2006

On March 24,official presentations and member comments were given by Locals: 535, 620, 2028, 347, 998, 99, 660, 700, and 1997.

Officers, members, and staff of Local 535 testified at the SEIU Public Sector jurisdictional hearing. Here is a synopsis of their testimony:

1. CREATE PROVISIONAL LOCALS INSTEAD OF MERGERS

The restructure process should create provisional locals which are new entities that would equalize the footing of all members in their new unions. Provisional locals would allow all the members to participate in the creation of new internal organizational structures, bylaws, and governance structures representative of all members.

2. CREATE AN ADVISORY BODY TO ASSIST WITH TRANSITION AND IMPLEMENTATION IN EACH NEW PROVISIONAL LOCAL

Create an advisory board to lead the provisional locals through the implementation and transition period. This board should have representative(s) from each local being transitioned into the new local union.

The advisory board would guide the provisional local through the process of implementation and transition. They would assist the members in creating new bylaws, developing an appropriate infrastructure, and overseeing leadership elections to be representative of all members in the new union.

3. ENSURE OPERATIONAL CONTINUITY

We emphasized the need for bargaining, organizing, and political continuity through the hearing process and implementation period.

4. CREATE THREE (3) PROVISIONAL PUBLIC SECTOR LOCALS

We proposed that there be three provisional public sector locals created in Northern California, Central California and Southern California instead of the four regional unions proposed by SEIU.

5. CREATE INDUSTRY COUNCILS

Because most public sector members are affected directly by statewide issues, statewide industry councils that operate like Local 535's program committees should be created.

6. RESTRUCTURE OTHER SEIU BODIES THAT SUPPORT PUBLIC SECTOR LOCALS IN CALIFORNIA

The State Council and SEIU divisional boards are SEIU bodies that assist public sector locals. If local unions are to be restructured, then these SEIU bodies should be evaluated and restructured to meet the new challenges of these new unions.

7. PROVIDE FULL EMPLOYMENT FOR STAFF

8. ALLOW ALL MEMBERS TO VOTE ON RECOMMENDATION OF THE HEARING OFFICERS

Whatever the final proposal is - members in the public sector locals that are affected should vote on the proposal before it is implemented

9. PRESERVE THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE CURRENT LOCAL UNIONS

In order to preserve the unique culture and history of each current public sector local affected by the reorganization, we requested that our histories be chronicled and displayed at the 2008 and 2012 SEIU conventions.