SEIU 1991 members did us all proud this week. Hundreds of calls poured into the offices of County Commissioners, telling them that we expect the County to honor its promise to end the 5% contribution in January.
This morning, after hours of deliberation, the Commission voted to keep the tax rate flat, which will require the administration to go back to the table and make compromises in county priorities.
In the afternoon, SEIU 1991 and all the county unions stood together to support our fellow employees in one of the smallest unions in the county. We knew that whatever happened to them would happen to all of us.
Mayor Gimenez fought to get the Commission to agree to his proposal to continue taking employee concessions, including the 5%.
At one point, Commission Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa tried to limit union input to 30 minutes. All the unions stood up and moved to the front of the room, standing silently in a powerful statement of unity.
Eventually, the Commission and the unions agreed to defer the impasse hearings for six unions to August 29.
That is good news. It gives us time to continue reaching out to the Commissioners and to pack the chamber on Aug. 29.
In the meantime, there is also an opportunity for the unions to go back to the bargaining table with administration.
Thanks to members who took the time to call and to come down to the meeting, the Commissioners know we are serious. They will think twice about blindly accepting the Mayor’s recommendations.
It’s not over, but this is one small step in the right direction.