SEIU 521 members said it’s the first time they have picketed against their leadership
A group of union members of Service Employees International Union Local 521 in Bakersfield say they are sorely discontented and held a picket downtown last Friday dubbed a “Call to Action.” The target of their ire, however, was the SEIU 521 Bakersfield administrative leadership.
“This isn’t an anti-union picket, this is an anti-leadership picket,” said union member Karen Bussard who works for Kern County Child Support Services. Bussard claims members’ voices are being silenced by SEIU leadership. “Right now we are in negotiations with the county, and the county presented a proposal to SEIU, but the leadership has not given it to the members to accept or deny it in violation of our rights,” said Bussard.
SEIU 521 represents about 13,000 members in Kern and Tulare counties, with a large number of members in government municipalities. Members expressed frustration with Region 5 Director Yvonne Davila who heads the Bakersfield office. “‘We’re getting our hours cut at work and our schedules changed without notice, yet they don’t listen to us,” said Edith Cabrera who works at Bakersfield ARC. “Every month we pay our union dues, but get no response from them, we’re paying for nothing.”
Calls and emails sent to Davila for comment were not immediately returned. SEIU members in Arvin are particularly angry, claiming union leadership has abandoned them. Several Arvin City employees are currently on paid leave.
SEIU 521 Region 5 Trustee Gil Garcia said, however, that union members have good reason to be upset. “It’s hypocrisy at its highest! The union that is supposed to protect workers from bad employers is the bad employer now,” said Garcia in an interview.
SEIU 521 Kern County Chapter President Alicia Aleman responded to the charges by email, writing, “We take pride in our strong record of enforcing union contracts, holding employers accountable, and organizing thousands of workers, many of them new, across the Central Valley… In the case of the City of Arvin, we continue to support and represent these members in every meeting and in every situation where representation from a union is necessary.”
Picketing members are calling for Davila to step down as director or be replaced by top management. Union members say morale among members is low. Tim Brandon, a SEIU member and Kern County court interpreter had just left work when he saw his fellow members picketing. He said he was unaware a picket would take place and decided to join them. “I’ve never seen anything like this, members coming together and protesting against union staff,” he said.
