Riverside Members Protest Outside Supervisor Buster’s Fundraiser
Following the declaration of imposition by Riverside County management, SEIU 721 members protested outside of the historic Mission Inn Hotel, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, at a fundraiser for Supervisor Bob Buster. The event was a $5,000 a plate dinner for his re-election campaign, at a time when county employees are being forced to take severe cuts and are already struggling to make ends meet. SEIU 721 members held signs critical of Buster at each of the hotel’s entrances. One sign was held by a member with a Ginch mask on that read, “Bob Buster Riverside’s Grinch.” Buster has been one of the most vocal critics of SEIU 721 members and has pushed for drastic cuts in a time when members are barely hanging on to their homes.
Is this really the way that our Union represents us? Buster won with 60+% of the vote in the last election even though he had a serious challenger. If anything, this kind of stunt makes Buster more popular, not less.
At our last SEIU meeting at our district office, we were given sheets about the evil 1%, about how much some CEOs are making, etc.
Please please please, my union representatives, stop with this BS politicking and just concentrate on collective bargaining.
Why do the Nurses continue to bargain and the rest of us are left out of that process? We are one SEIU union, but SEIU continues to minimalize the rest of us – call us the 20%! With an 80% majority, the 20% are drifting down-stream as fast as the current flows. The Nurses made MORE money during the mandatory furloughs, while the 20% made less. The Nurses have a side bar in the terms & conditions. What’s that about? If the Nurses would support the whole union, we could all win. All the 20% ask is: FAIRNESS!!!
TO: SEIU 721 Chief Negotiator
It’s time to step up to the plate, and stop comprimising with the enemy. Some Union members have already disscussed gathering signatures to have SEIU voted out, and have the Teamsters replace SEIU. If the Union members turned down the county proposal, why wasn’t the Union ready to countrer-act, to our next move, weather it was rejected or accpeted! The Union had no plan. Your method of negoitating clearly shows the lack of EXPERIENCE in any type of Union organization.
HAD ENOUGH
Maybe if more employees had backbone and actually took a strong stand against the county, then maybe we’d stop getting “raped” by those we give our hard work and dedication to so they can look good. We make this county and we’re paid so little as it is while management continues to line their pockets just as do politicians, bankers, mortgage brokers, etc. We shouldn’t have to lose the little we get so the rich can continue to get richer! Have some respect for yourself and stop letting others speak up, show up, and fight against a county and the government who want to eliminate a middle class!
Put a lid on the political rhetoric. We are trying to get a contract regarding pay and benefits for our work. This has nothing to do with “the bankers”. Quit trying to turn us into the occupy losers.
The last time I checked the BOS said this was about politics, not about the money? Where have you been? To say it’s not about politics is just another form of being uninformed. Bob Buster is up for re-election this coming year, and Jeff Stone is soon to follow. this is not about politics? “Com on man” it’s more about politics than you can believe. This is not about occupy, but about our rights to a fair and honest contract. I’ve been with the county for over 11 years, and have work my tail off to get to the position that I’m in…. Read the pending MOU, that’s all I’m asking you to do….
I want to know why SEIU is not doing more to update it’s members on what is going on. I have read about everything that happens in the PE after it happens. You inform a select few who obviously are not getting the word out. I also read in the PE that I have been imposed on effective 12/3 but have not been officially informed of this by my union or my employer. You have all my contact information, What’s up SEIU?
Do you just buy into everything the union leadership tells you? They like to try to whip people up and get them excited. The comment that was made about the contract negotiations being “political” was that the issue of pensions was a political question. Whether you believe one side or the other, it is pretty obvious to everyone that the county has a budget deficit and needs to save money in these contract negotiations. The issue of pension reform is a huge issue right now and it is a political issue that is being examined at every level of government. Let’s hope that the unions are reasonable about it and don’t force the voters to enact much more draconian pension reform.
I’m really getting tired of the radical union leadership. It should be their job to give us the information straight up without bias. What we end up getting is a spoon fed version of what the leadership thinks will serve its own purposes.
Dear New Employee,
You have a lot to learn. If you don’t want to be spoon fed, do the research yourself. Try contacting PERB and inquire as to how many unfair labor practice complaints have been filed against the County of Riverside in the last 10 years (bad/illegal behavior by the county is a practice). Additionally, if you think pension reform is the big issue, you are wrong. Fairness is the big issue. And, if you think SEIU is the only entity spoon feeding you information, you may want take another look at your employer – don’t go into your new employment with your eyes wide shut.