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Schaaf Administration declares impasse on labor negotiations despite union objections

Published

7 years ago

June 21, 2019

The conflict between Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration and city workers is intensifying after Oakland officials declared an impasse in negotiations with two major employee unions just before their labor contracts expire on June 30, the same day as the deadline for submitting the new city budget.

The city proclaimed the impasse on June 11 with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021, which represents about 2,000 city employees; and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21, representing about 1,000 workers. Both unions have been meeting with the city’s representatives for months, Local 1021 in about 20 negotiating sessions since the end of March and Local 21 in about 15 sessions since February.

Until the declaration of impasse, negotiations were continuing and had not stalled, according to the unions. Undiscussed issues were still on the table. The city is engaging in “bad faith bargaining,” said union leaders, who are filing a complaint against the city with the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB).

The city has proposed mediation, an action that the unions view as an attempt to put pressure on them. Though they argue that city’s declaration is premature, the unions say they are willing to participate in mediation.

In recent years, the city’s negotiating team consisted of City of Oakland staff. This year, the administration relied on an outside consultant, Sloan Sakai, which has a reputation among union members as a hostile or “union busting” law firm.

The city is offering a 2 percent raise per year, 4 percent for the next two years, as well as a number of takeaways, according to city workers, who say they need to keep up with the rate of inflation. The cost of living in the Bay Area increased almosst 4 percent in the past year, say the unions.

Workers’ wages fell far behind between 2008 and 2014, and many say they cannot afford to continue to live in Oakland, and some are straining to pay for long commutes from where they were forced to move.

Another major issue facing the city are large numbers of unfilled employee positions, which undermines the ability of workers to adequately perform their jobs and overwhelms them with excessive workloads, often having to scramble to do the duties of two, three or four employees, according to workers. There are currently over 600 vacant positions in the city, including public works, housing and transportation jobs.

During the City Council’s budget deliberations, the dispute between the unions and the administration has taken center stage. City workers filled Council Chambers both at last week’s and Tuesday evening’s council meetings.

Speaking at the meeting, Local 1021 member Jeff Robbins, talked about the shortages of employees in the department where he works as a licensed heavy equipment mechanic.

He said the department is short four mechanics and cannot hire anyone because “other municipalities pay $10 more per hour with less requirements.”

“All city heavy equipment passes through us, including fire equipment,” he said. “We never want a shortage of equipment when fires need to be put out (or) trees need to be trimmed.”

“We’re the hub of the wheel – don’t let the wheel fall off.”

Local 1021 bargaining team co-chair and Chapter President Felipe Cuevas, also a heavy equipment mechanic, talked about the many unfilled vacancies exist in many city departments.

“Local 1021 has more than 300 vacancies, an over 17 percent vacancy rate,” he said . “I’ve seen vehicles sometimes wait for months to be repaired. These vehicles are not available to provide services to the public: fire trucks are not on the road, potholes are not getting fixed, sewers are not being inspected and maintained.”

“In the past we had to close fire houses because the equipment hasn’t been available,” he said. “No one has heard about that.”

Cuevas said the behavior of the city’s negotiators, Sloan Sakai, has been “so disrespectful.”

“They’ve basically said we’re not even going to discuss some of (our) proposals. They’re simply union busters.”

Also criticizing the city’s negotiating consultants, Local 1021 chief steward Dwight McElroy said, “I’ve been bargaining in this city for 25 years, and I’ve never seen such disrespect as we have seen at this table.”

Look at Sloan Sakai’s website, he said. “It is braggadocious about union busting (and) braggadocious about” taking away local cities’ retiree benefits.

McElroy told the council, “We know you’ve been stonewalled. We know you haven’t been given documents that you requested, to make educated decisions.”

Nina Hernandez, a part-time library worker, said, “We went out (in the last strike) because 2 percent was never going to cut it for this staff. And it is never going to cut it, ever, because 2 percent makes us poorer at the end of the contract than we were at the beginning of the contract.”

Anthony Reese, chapter vice president of Local 21, said the city’s contract proposal contributes to gentrification by failing to keep up with the increased cost of living. “It’s clear that the mayor does not want us to live and work here,” he said.

Cheryl Dunaway, a 22-year city employee and a Local 21 member, said she became homeless and had to leave the city.

“I work in Oakland, but I can’t afford to live in Oakland,” she said. “I used to, but now I can’t. I commute around four hours a day.”

“Some of our employees are homeless but are too ashamed to admit it,” Dunaway continued. “I was one of them. I was blessed that I have family that loves me, that took me in. But a lot of us don’t have that. They’re sleeping in cars, bunking with family members, they are sleeping on garage floors.”

She said employees will not accept a 2 percent increase and takeaways.

“If you are not willing to work with us, all of us are going to walk out the door. And you’ll be left with yourselves,” she said.

Ken Epstein

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The Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Hold Day of Advocacy at the Capitol in Sacramento

A member of the “Divine Nine,” Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization was established by 22 women who sought to shift the group’s focus from social activities to public service, academic excellence, and social activism.

Published

2 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro) presents a Senate resolution to the Delta Theta Sigma Sorority Farwest Region at the State Capitol on May 4. Photo courtesy of the Senate Rules Committee.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

On May 4, members of the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., convened at the California State Capitol for the organization’s 23rd annual Delta Days in Sacramento.

The two-day advocacy event brings together chapters from across California to engage directly in the legislative process, connect with lawmakers, and advocate for policies impacting Black communities.

Members of the sorority were honored on the Senate floor by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro), who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta.

Richardson welcomed the Farwest Region during the presentation of a Senate resolution recognizing outgoing Regional Director Kimberly Usher for her leadership and service.

“In addition to the Far West Region, we are led by a fearless leader, regional director Kimberly Usher. She has now served her full term of what’s allowed,” Richardson said. “We are going to be having our regional conference, but we wanted to give it to her here, officially recognizing her service.”

The resolution was co-authored by Richardson and fellow members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Delta Sigma Theta, Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton).

Usher has served in the leadership role since 2022.

“We are founded on sisterhood that is deeply rooted in scholarship, service, and social action,” said Weber Pierson, a member of the Gamma Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

“Today, we continue a legacy of empowering communities and upholding the high cultural, intellectual, and moral standards established by our founders over a century ago,” she added.

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Rep. Kamlager-Dove Introduces Bill to Protect Women in Custody After Reports Detailing Miscarriages and Neglect

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

Published

2 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) on May 7, reintroduced updated legislation aimed at strengthening protections and healthcare standards for pregnant and postpartum women held in federal custody, including in immigration detention facilities.

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

The legislation builds on a bipartisan version previously passed by the House during the 117th Congress. The updated bill includes new standards for healthcare access, mental health and substance use treatment, high-risk pregnancy care, family unity protections and increased federal oversight.

“Proper pregnancy care is a human right, regardless of your immigration or incarceration status,” Kamlager-Dove said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable that there are virtually no legal safeguards for pregnant women in federal custody.”

The bill would also limit the use of restraints and restrictive housing for pregnant women, improve data collection on maternal health in custody and require additional staff training and enforcement measures.

Supporters of the measure said the legislation is intended to address long-standing concerns about maternal healthcare and safety in detention settings, particularly for Black women and low-income women who are disproportionately impacted by incarceration and health disparities.

“Pregnant women in custody should never be subjected to dangerous and inhumane treatment that threatens their health, dignity, or the well-being of their babies,” said Patrice Willoughby, chief of policy and legislative affairs for the NAACP and a longtime public policy and government affairs strategist, in a statement.

A 2021 report estimated there are about 58,000 admissions of pregnant women into U.S. jails and prisons each year. Kamlager’s statement also cited a recent investigation by NBC News and Bloomberg Law that identified allegations of severe mistreatment or medical neglect involving at least 54 pregnant women or families in county jails between 2017 and 2024.

Federal policy under the Department of Homeland Security restricts the detention of pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants except in extreme cases. However, the agency reported that ICE deported 363 pregnant, postpartum or nursing women between January 2025 and February 2026, including 16 recorded miscarriages during that period.

The bill is cosponsored by several House Democrats and backed by organizations including the NAACP and the Vera Institute of Justice.

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OPINION: The Fire of Oakland’s Justin Jones

Jones made headlines three years ago when he was one of a pair of Justins. Along with fellow State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), he fought their removal from the state house in Tennessee and won reinstatement. Now, Pearson is running for Congress and Jones is still fighting for all of us.

Published

2 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville). File photo.

By Emil Amok Guillermo

You may know Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville).

He grew up in Oakland and the East Bay. His mother is Filipino. You can tell by his full name Justin Shea Bautista Jones.

His father is African American.

He is fighting for all of us.

Now, Pearson is running for Congress and Jones is still fighting for all of us.

The recent 6-3 Supreme Court decision barring the use of race in drawing congressional districts marks a major turning point in U.S. history.

The decision took away the Voting Rights Act’s power to assure minority voices were both heard and represented.

“What we’re seeing now is this new Jim Crow system in which Black and Brown communities are without voice in our political process,” he told Fredricka Whitfield on CNN last weekend.

“That’s a canary in the coal mine for the rest of the nation. If they come for one of us, they’re coming for all of us, and some of my message to America is that the South is the front line of democracy,” Jones said. “They are dismantling multi-racial democracy here in the South, in states like Tennessee and Louisiana. But they aren’t going to stop here.”

That’s why Jones said we have to start paying attention to the South, and start helping them fight back there,” he said.

“I want to be clear that this terror, this type of system they’re enacting, are the same systems my grandparents told me about who grew up in Tennessee, a system where people like me couldn’t even be in political office. That’s the time they’re bringing us back to and I’m not sounding the alarm to be alarmist. But I am sounding it because we’ve seen this before in our history.”

Jones talked about Reconstruction and about what happened between the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1960s, when there was no Black political representation.

It’s a rebellion to keep our democracy going forward, he said.

“Stand with us and help us fight back against this extremist power grab — this racist power grab against our vision of a multi-racial democracy,” Jones added.

“While there is a litigation strategy, it’s important to maintain what he called a “movement strategy” that leads to the largest voter mobilization and registration that has ever been seen in the South,” he encouraged.

In 2026.

“Tennessee is an oppressed state,” Jones said. “It’s a state where one in five Black voters can’t vote because of felony disenfranchisement. It is where you can use a gun permit to vote, but you can’t use a student ID card to vote.

That’s the Asian American African American voice of Justin Jones.

Read his words for inspiration.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist, commentator, and comic stage monologist. His new show “69, Emil Amok: Anchorman—The News Made Me Do It,” is at the San Diego Fringe at New Destiny/Lincoln Park, 4931 Logan Ave. Ste. 102. May 14-23, at various times. Get tickets here.