Hollister workers that are part of Service Employees Union 521 spent part of their lunchtime on Tuesday marching up and down sidewalks in downtown Hollister, using a bullhorn to herald their solidarity as they continue contract negotiations with the city.
Later that evening, SEIU organizer Mark Weirick said the approximately 40 workers in the union “are the people that keep this city running,” such as parks and road workers. “Without these employees, the city would have no running water,” he said, adding, “our workers keep the streets clear of debris; they keep our parks clean.”
The union members, Weirick said, have “sacrificed again and again for the good of the city” and now they need to “share in the recovery. He asked council members to “remember the sacrifices and contributions” the workers have made and noted that they have been negotiating “in good faith.”
Nancy Durham, an SEIU member who works in the city’s finance department, noted that without workers like her, “there would be a whole lot of frustrated citizens.” The Hollister native told the council that union members were among the first city employees to take furloughs to help the city through its budget crisis “even though most of our workers don’t impact the general fund.”
“This created a hardship for my family,” Durham said. “My fellow employees and I have endured the frustration from our community” when city services were cut back. She then asked all of the SEIU members in the audience to stand up. They were wearing purple T-shirts as a sign of solidarity. “We are the working people standing together for our community and our families,” she said.
The council could not comment on the presentation, as it was not an agendized item.
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