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Mike Long of SEIU Local 721, which represents public service workers across Southern California issued the following statement.

“We wear a lot of hats around here. Monday I might be a coach. Tuesday I might be a counselor. Tuesday I might be a teacher,” said Mel Bailey, Supervising Deputy Probation Officer and member of SEIU Local 721.

Decenas de trabajadores esenciales protestaron el lunes con la intención de buscar una compensación luego de su ardua entrega durante la pandemia.

Gig workers, meanwhile, are continuing to speak out about the challenges they face – challenges that were underscored this week with the release of research funded by SEIU 721 about the realities of gig work.

Linda Dent, a clerk in the Los Angeles County Tax Collector’s Office, who rose from a steward to become the first woman and first Black president of SEIU 721, passed away on May 31 from pancreatic cancer. She was 68-years-old.

“Frontline workers risked their lives to stop the spread of COVID-19 and with this plan legislators have not only honored their sacrifice but demonstrated they have workers’ backs as we prepare for the next public health crisis — whether it is an earthquake, food borne illness or devastating virus,” said Bob Schoonover, Executive Director of SEIU Local 721 and President of SEIU California.

The council also approved letters of agreement that allow staff in the maintenance association and the Service Employees International Union, Local 721, to cash out vacation time earlier in the year. The SEIU represents employees in facilities, public service, and parks and recreation.

Trabajadores de viaje compartido y servicios de envío de comida denuncian trabas para obtener la cobertura prometida tras la Prop. 22.

Only 15% of the drivers polled have applied for the stipend, months after the ballot measure became law, according to a survey released Thursday and commissioned by SEIU 721.

“SEIU members have been warning for years that California wasn’t investing enough in public health and that skimping on these crucial services would leave communities of color most vulnerable. After the last year’s devastation, there is no question that a strong public health workforce makes a difference when lives are on the line,” said Bob Schoonover, President of SEIU California and Executive Director of SEIU Local 721.