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Santa Cruz City Workers Rally, March, Arrests

by Skidmark Bob
Rally, March and Arrests for Santa Cruz City Workers.
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After seven years of stagnant wages, city workers who have been economically shut out approx 200-300 city workers and supporters gathered at town clock rallied and marched from Town Clock to City Hall to hand-deliver a letter from the community to the City Council—demanding a response to the need for a living wage, affordable housing and community investment for all. People spoke to council and six or seven were arrested refusing to leave chambers when cleared by police.

With signs that Santa Cruz has recovered from the recession, such as a balanced city budget and bonuses paid to its city leaders, city workers remain behind.

The city pays an average of only $34,000 per year—about half of the median income for Santa Cruz County—to its workers such as landscapers, sanitation drivers, administrative personnel, library workers and parking attendants.
§Town Clock High View
by Skidmark Bob
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§Post Office Corner
by Skidmark Bob
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by Skidmark Bob
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§March down Pacific
by Skidmark Bob
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by Skidmark Bob
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§At city hall
by Skidmark Bob
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§Civic Corner
by Skidmark Bob
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by Skidmark Bob
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§Teamsters Support
by Skidmark Bob
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by Skidmark Bob
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§Outside Chambers
by Skidmark Bob
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§Inside Chambers
by Skidmark Bob
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§Cops clear chambers
by Skidmark Bob
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§Arrests Made
by Skidmark Bob
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by Skidmark Bob
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by Skidmark Bob
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§We'll Be Back
by Skidmark Bob
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§Worker Demands
by via SEIU 521
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City of Santa Cruz workers are fighting for:

Affordable Housing in Santa Cruz FOR ALL
Like you, City of Santa Cruz employees struggle to afford to live in the city. In fact, 46% of city workers are unable to live within city limits due to high housing costs and wage cuts workers have agreed to since 2009 to deal with the recession. Stand with us to change that!

A Real Living Wage in Santa Cruz FOR ALL
From 2012 to 2013, city executives received over $500,000 in extra compensation in addition to base salaries in the six-figures. During this same period, frontline workers saw wage cuts and staff reduction in public service areas such as Public Works and Parks. We stand with the 99% against gross income inequality. Stand with us to change that!

Pay Equity in Santa Cruz FOR ALL
In Santa Cruz 35% of our female workers, on average, make $1.29 less than their male co-workers. City workers, when compared to neighboring cities and counties, are not compensated for their experience and skillset. Stand with us to change that!

Transparency in Government FOR ALL
City Council meetings occur in the middle of the day. Working families cannot take time off to participate in local governance impacting their lives. City Council members reject our proposal to schedule evening meetings. Stand with us to change that!

Secure Retirement in Santa Cruz FOR ALL
Unlike other workers, City workers are not eligible for Social Security. Instead, they pay into their pension plans with hopes it will be enough to age with dignity after retirement. But most City workers will retire with a fixed income of approx. $1800 per month because the City won't contribute its fair share to make sure its workers retire with security. Stand with us to change that!
Add Your Comments

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by SEIU 521
Media Advisory
May 26, 2015

Santa Cruz City Workers Prepare to March, Face Arrests

Workers and residents will march today from downtown demanding living wage, affordable housing

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – After seven years of stagnant wages, city workers who have been economically shut out of Santa Cruz will march from Town Clock to City Hall on Tuesday, May 26, to hand-deliver a letter from the community to the City Council—demanding a response to the need for a living wage, affordable housing and community investment for all.

WHO: Community members and city workers including sanitation workers, landscapers, parking attendants, administrative personnel, library clerks, waste water workers, and public works employees.

WHAT: A rally and civil disobedience action to protest City Council’s inaction

WHEN: 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 26

WHERE: Town Clock (then to City Hall)
Mission St. (between N. Pacific Ave. and Knight Street), Santa Cruz, CA 95060

VISUALS: Streams of workers in purple marching through downtown with bullhorns, posters and clappers. Workers flooding into City Hall with community letter before City Council.

With signs that Santa Cruz has recovered from the recession, such as a balanced city budget and bonuses paid to its city leaders, city workers remain behind. The city pays an average of only $34,000 per year—about half of the median income for Santa Cruz County—to its workers such as landscapers, sanitation drivers, administrative personnel, library workers and parking attendants. These workers qualify for housing subsidies to afford rent in Santa Cruz. Similar to fast-food workers and their fight for economic justice, Santa Cruz’s low-wage city workers are dedicated to uplifting the community by fighting for living wages, affordable housing and community re-investment to benefit all.

# # #

The Service Employees International Union is an organization of 2.1 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. SEIU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. For more information, visit http://www.seiu521.org

http://www.seiu521.org/2015/05/cisantacruz-workers-march/
by G
A very serious crime.
by A little birdy
One of the people at the demo who was in a position to know told me (at least) Don Lane knew there was going to be 'theatrical' arrests.

There was one lousy police car initially. IF it was a swarm of homeless people refusing to leave the chambers we would have likely seen the first use of the SCPD's Bearcat, and half the police department showing up, clubs and mace at ready.

I just want to say, I saw the signs that said "We are community" and the first thing that came to mind was 'where were these community members when many locals in the private sector were displaced by the city's gentrification policy of destroying the light industrial job sector in Santa Cruz?

But my BIG gripe is the SEIU which earns my never-ending ire because A> They're affiliated with the Teamsters. One of the most corrupt and non-cooperative-with-other-unions labor organizations on the face of the planet, anyone whose ever observed them knows that they drive through other unions pickets like they aren't even there, and B> The SEIU abandoned Peet's coffeeshop workers on the eve of an NLRB authorized unionization vote and stood by idly as Peet's fired THEIR WHO CREW, then shut down for a week as they hired new employees and then the SEIU went and found themselves some workers who made enough money to pay the kind of dues their official's inflated salaries depend on. City and County workers...
by Razer Ray
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Read his lips...
by Read SEIU's press release
SEIU announced in their press release (which was posted in the first comment on this article) that some were preparing to "face arrests".

I'm not a fan of SEIU either, but they sure did well in this situation.

Those facing arrests may not have been SEIU members.

One of the people arrested was Cesar Lara, the director of the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council.
by Saw the video footage
At least one Santa Cruz City Worker was arrested during this, and it looked like the others were SEIU members.

It was definitely announced ahead of time.

Police Chief Vogel was there in the back room and he came out after they all locked arms and it looked like he cleared a lot of the chambers of people.

They should do it unannounced at the next meeting!
by Robert Norse
...if the privileged SEIU workers face real six month jail sentences for "disrupting a meeting" as homeless activists Gary Johnson and Ed Frey did in 2010 for their PC2010 protests.

...as Johnson did again for sleeping on a bench in front of the courthouse in 2011 with his "Sleep is Not a Crime" sign.

Or felony conspiracy charges like four of the Santa Cruz 11 still face this summer for simply being in the leased building of bankster fraud masters Wells Fargo in 2011.

SEIU workers voted a decade ago to support the anti-homeless Sleeping Ban and gave a green light to the ongoing harassment by Parks and Recreation workers.

Still, standing up to the Council's gears and wheels to stop the machine---even if only briefly--does deserve commendation.
by Slow Change
I agree with Robert in that a lot of government workers are the ones who complain about protests, which increases the pressure on police to crack down on them, and in the Bay Area SEIU is especially known for that.

In Santa Cruz it was County workers that complained a lot about Occupy Santa Cruz.

I would disagree with the statement that SEIU workers are privileged. $34,000 a year before taxes is pretty slim.
by Slow Change
That government workers also complain about homeless people a lot. Which is what County workers have done in addition to complaining about Occupy. They complain a lot about the homeless people who hang out in San Lorenzo Park.
by Razer Ray
Those workers complaining are also left 'holding the bag' with an oversupply of street alcoholics and surly hard drug users to 'deal with'. The police are in a similar position, but $80,000/yr after a few years, and all the free psych care you need, buys a a lot of 'abuse time'.

I know a few public service workers I count as good acquaintances, but every time one of the ones I don't know looks at me like I'M the one who trashed that bathroom HE'S (or SHE'S) got to clean, I'm looking at someone who doesn't understand he's' (she's) looking at someone THEY could be too. If the city lets them go to hire contract workers.

I'm looking for some solidarity here. I'm looking for an understanding that those abuses city workers suffer at the hands of the homeless... farcical or factual, are the end result of a lack of community pushback in the face of the total commercialization and gentrification of downtown leaving many EX-Workers despairing to the point that drink and drugs become the only way to escape, and bathrooms become dressing rooms, and parking garages become night shelter from the elements.

Ps. I found myself in front of StarFucks this morning shouting at a couple of cops giving some houseless SSDI receiving guy I vaguely know a ticket for something or other. I explained LOUDLY at that early morning hour from across the street so it reverberated off the buildings.

"You politicized schmucks! You have an 85% unsolved homicide rate and all you can do is give houseless people tickets? You've all been politicized to the point where you aren't even allowed to do your jobs correctly! (what they learned in 4th grade civics class)"

The Chicana cop standing by looked at me nervously and then wouldn't look me in the eye again while the BIG WHITE cop scribbled on the ticket pad a little faster and more furiously, glaring at me once.

And if 50 people a day walked in, sang a a bar of Alice's Restaurant, and walked out, they MIGHT think it was a movement.
Exactly.

...then they came for the low wage city workers...
by via Micah
Dear Constituents,

On Thursday I attended an excellent workshop on rail transportation put on by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission at the Simpkins Swim Center. I was riding back with a longtime bicycle advocate debating what kind of train made sense Santa Cruz County and we got to the Arana Gulch Path at dusk. It was one of those brown/ orange affairs with a star or two twinkling up above; totally quiet and peaceful on the path with a slight smell of cow.

Suddenly I remembered debating options for the Arana Gulch path with the same activist something like 20 years ago. I stopped and said, “hold on a minute, Billy. This is an awesome moment. Twenty years ago we were arguing about what kind of trail we wanted and now we are riding it while we argue about what kind of train we want. This is a beautiful place to be.” We stopped for a minute and enjoyed the trail and the sunset, than went back to our happy disagreement.

I am confident that we will have a train in Santa Cruz County and that, whatever the initial system we pick, that it will be a good thing. My opinion is that it needs to go to Watsonville and connect to emerging state rail system even if that significantly decreases the headway times. I also do not feel a need to have stations closer than a couple miles apart. But don’t let my opinions affect you other than to peak your curiosity. The Commission’s rail study is easy to get to at sccrtc.org. Read it and share your opinions with the full Commission.

On a less dreamy topic, our City workers are determined to recoup the wages they lost during the Recession and are pushing the Council hard to make it happen. It is an entirely reasonable request but means cutting other things out of our budget,, which has been a difficult process. I’d like to it authorize another Park’s Ranger, for example, but is it an 80K annual priority? How about redoing some of the median strips that are falling apart and putting them on drip irrigation? Skip it and add another 60K to our ability to pay workers? I will continue to try to strip out the 1 million dollars to create a plan to spend another 14 million on widening the Highway One Bridge over the river. That project has now been opposed by the Sierra Club AND the City Service Employees Union, which makes it an easy thing to say no to as far as I am concerned. I also think that the Boardwalk should pitch in 50K per year of the 100K or so needed to drain the San Lorenzo River mouth at certain levels with certain careful criteria, a plan that City Staff laboriously created in part to protect the Boardwalk.

Is there anything that the City is doing that you think we could live without? For ideas, go online at cityofsantacruz.com and find the City Council meeting agenda for June 9th, which includes our draft budget. Then show up at the budget session 7PM on June 9th and/or weigh in via email to citycouncil [at] cityofsantacruz.com

Your advocate on the City Council,

Micah Posner
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