Solano County workers start two-day strike

VALLEJO — Nearly a hundred Solano County workers clad in purple shirts and carrying picket signs lined up outside the county services building in Vallejo Tuesday morning to begin a two-day countywide strike.

County workers held pickets at five different locations across the county to protest what unions called unfair labor practices. Strikers also showed up at the Solano County Board of Supervisors meeting in Fairfield to voice their concerns before supervisors entered closed session to further negotiate contract details. 

At 11 a.m., strikers from all locations convened at the county seat at 675 Texas St. in Fairfield to form a picket line until the end of day. Over 900 workers from Services Employees International Union Local 1021, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Stationary Engineers Local 39, and the Union of American Physicians and Dentists were on strike, according to an SEIU official. The strike resumes Wednesday.

“We’re out here today because our county, our employer, is not negotiating in good faith,” cash aid eligibility benefits specialist Sarah Ceighton-Kirley said outside of the Vallejo county services building.

Ceighton-Kirley, an SEIU member, said she’s worked in the county building in Vallejo for 13 years. 

The county and labor unions have been working negotiating a new contract for months. County workers said that the contract’s wages have not been adjusted for inflation while the work load has greatly increased since the pandemic.

Additional demands strikers mentioned include having Juneteenth off and a more affordable health insurance package. One striker said she has to pay $880 for health insurance per month for her and her family. 

“The County has engaged in extensive, good-faith negotiations with our employee unions for many months,” county officials said in a statement. “We have carefully reviewed and responded to hundreds of proposals and have put forward a comprehensive offer totaling more than $90 million in wage and benefit improvements. While differences remain, the County remains committed to reaching an agreement that recognizes employees’ valuable service and ensures the continued delivery of quality public programs.”

Many strikers however feel like they cannot do an adequate job under their current work conditions and that benefit recipients suffer as a result.

“It’s hard work striking, but not as hard as working for the county,” said Joanna Boucher, a benefits appeal specialist who has worked for the county for 10 years. 

Boucher said that many of the county's own workers receive social assistance like food stamps. Others mentioned working two jobs to make ends meet.

“The poverty rate is increasing, there’s never been more people eligible for benefits but Solano has not increased their staffing to meet the needs of the public,” Boucher said.

Boucher said that waivers were issued during the COVID pandemic so that people did not lose their benefits. In 2023, those waivers expired and case workers were inundated by the workload having to review them all. “That’s when shit hit the fan,” said Boucher.

“I was so stressed. I was really in the trenches,” said Boucher. The county failing to meet their demands she said will lead to more hungry senior citizens and children, as their ability to receive benefits diminish.

Last year, the Board of Supervisors approved a raise for 15 county management positions by an average of 21%. This was to keep the salaries market-rate competitive, according to the motion.

In 2022, the Board of Supervisors voted for an 18% pay increase to their own salaries.

“Are they as broke as they say they are? Because they’re giving their high level management extensive raises,” said SEIU 1021 union Solano chapter president Nicole Chavira-Garcia. “But none of them are willing to give up anything, like take one for the team.”

Chavira-Garcia said her union is seeking a 12% wage increase spread over three years, but the county is “saying they have nothing more to give, just air.” 

However, “it’s really not about the money,” she said. Their primary concerns renegotiating the contract are first affordable health care, then safety at the work place, and wages last. 

One striker, who did not want to be identified but said she worked as a medical assistant in the county building for 13 years, had tears running down her cheek. “I get super emotional because our patients deserve better, we deserve better,” she said. “It feels like the supervisors don’t care.” 

“I would like to continue taking care of this underserved community,” she said. “That’s what’s most important to me, is making sure that I can afford to keep coming here.”

Luis Quintero said he has worked for the county in Vallejo for 21 years and said he used to make more money. “Inflation is what's killing us,” he said.

“I am hoping to achieve better services for my clients,” said Quintero, who works in the general assistance unit with clients who are mostly homeless. “The reality is that we are overworked, that is one of the biggest concerns.” He explained that added work load means clients have to wait longer before being attended and receive less attention as a result. 

“Some people might say it's all about the money but the reality is no, it's about the clients,” said Quintero. 

He said that his unit consists of six workers who serve all of Solano County. In 2022 he said the six of them served 36,000 people.

Mark Davidson, an industrial psychologist employed with the county for 20 years, said his main priority striking is “just to get a fair contract.”

Not having a quality contract he said is "crippling because the county can’t retain quality workers for a long period of time,” the main reason they remain understaffed. 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Nicole Chavira-Garcia.