Four unions representing the bulk of Solano County’s public sector workforce will walk out for a two-day strike Tuesday amid accusations of unfair labor practices leveled at the county.
Workers from SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, IUOE Local 39 and UAPD will stage picket lines at several locations, with the largest expected at the Solano County Health and Social Services building at 275 Beck Avenue in Fairfield and the county’s main administration building at 675 Texas Street in Fairfield, where a noon rally is planned featuring Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation.
“These workers provide critical mental health care, social services, and public safety, yet they are being forced to fight to protect the services they provide, their own healthcare, and their families’ futures,” Gonzalez said in a news release Monday.
The workers are concerned about staffing levels and what they see as a lackluster recruitment and retention effort on the county’s part.
Union officials say they’re asking for a “livable wage,” among other things, to keep workers from being poached from other, better paying counties around the bay area and so people can afford to live and work in Solano County.
The workers have been without a contract for four months and accuse the county of digging in its heels and failing to bargain in good faith.
A spokesperson for the county didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The unions represent workers delivering mental health and medical services, social services, adult protective services, civil engineering and administrative services, among other things.
“Solano County’s Health and Social Services are severely understaffed and under-resourced, directly leading to delays,” said mental health clinical supervisor Christie Allan, an IFPTE Local 21 bargaining team member. “These delays can be life-or-death: the difference between housing and eviction, food and hunger.”