
Oakland
Bulletin
February/2017
An organization of Professional, Technical, and Administrative Employees
Change is a Coming
By Renee Sykes, Local 21 Oakland VP
The month of January saw changes at the national
and local level politically. What we are about to
face as a Union will be challenging and require all
the newly elected chapter leaders to unite as one
and be prepared to fight what we are about to face
at the national, state and local levels.
At the national level, we saw the swearing in of a
new President on January 20, 2017. Since then, we
have seen this country thrust into turmoil unlike
anything we have ever seen before. The actions we
have seen by this President are referenced in
George Orwell’s novel “1984” and Ayn Rand’s
“Atlas Shrugged.” President Trump has selected a
Supreme Court justice that may vote to take away
our Union rights. He has banned immigrants from
seven countries from entering the United
States, has frozen positions at the federal level and
more importantly has threatened to pull federal
funding from sanctuary cities; in case no one has
heard, Oakland is a Sanctuary City. For more
information on what’s at stake for Oakland as a
Sanctuary City, see our article on page 5. The
withdrawal of federal funds from Oakland would
have a serious negative impact on upcoming
negotiations. It is very important that we monitor
the activity coming out of Washington and be
prepared to gather our resources and fight what
could become a huge financial hit on our
members. THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW!!!!
At the state level, Governor Brown released the
state budget. He has said the state is looking at a 2
billion dollar deficit. We know if the state is unable
to provide services, it will push the services down
to the county and city levels. Because CalPERS
failed to meet its projection of 7.5%, they are
proposing to reduce the rate to 7%. This rate
reduction
be passed
onOpportunities,
from the state
Taxwill
Deductions,
Training
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local level
and could
well Kickoff
be passed on to
Participates
in Racevery
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union members. What does that mean? We may
Team
to the
be Selected
Soon, share of our
have to Bargaining
pay more
into
employee
CalPERS
Cuts
and
CAT
Needs
You
pensions; our current employee rate is 8%. We
need toLocalmonitor
the Public
activity
coming out of
21 Leadership,
Works/DOT
Sacramento
and
once
again
develop
a strategy on
Re-Org Update
what steps need to be taken to address this
possible action. CAN YOU SAY “TRICKLE DOWN
EFFECT?”
THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:
p.2
p.3
p.4
p.5
p.6
failed to meet its projection of 7.5% return on
investments, they are proposing to reduce the rate
to 7%. For more information on CalPERS, see our
article on page 3. This rate reduction will be
passed on from the state to the local level and due
to pension reform laws, half will be passed on to
Union members. We will have to pay more into the
employee share of our pensions; our current
employee rate is 8%. We need to monitor the
activity coming out of Sacramento and once again
develop a strategy on next steps to address this
possible action. CAN YOU SAY “TRICKLE DOWN
EFFECT?”
At the local level, our newly elected chapter
officers were sworn in by Local 21’s Executive
Director, Bob Muscat on Monday, January 23, 2017
at the monthly Oakland Council meeting. These
newly elected officers have received training in the
operations of Local 21 and will participate in
ongoing monthly member activist training. They
will be working closely with L21 staff, the CAT team
and members to fight and protect our Union rights.
See a list of our new Oakland Council on page 4
and pics taking the oath of office on page 7.
a replacement. (Uninsured
patients drive up the costs of
plans for everyone, including
our CalPERS plans.) We will be
partnering with other Unions
and community organizations
on various social issues that
impact everyone.
With that, I leave members
with two thoughts:
1) When they go low, Local 21
members go high. In our
current political climate, it
will have to be very high.
2) We can get busy living (and
fighting)
or
get
busy
dying. The choice is ours.
Bargaining teams are being formed for upcoming
contract negotiations and I hope members
participated in the survey that was sent
approximately (3) weeks ago. Member input is
what helps determine what will be discussed ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT?!!
I SURE HOPE SO!!!
during contract negotiations. When your chapter
officers ask for your assistance, be prepared to say
“YES!” We will be engaging in letter writing
campaigns to our Congressmembers and Senators
asking them to fight for the Affordable Care Act aka
Obama Care which President Trump and the
Republican party are attempting to repeal without
unknown health care plan. We will be partnering
with our fellow unions and community
Trump Threatens $130M Cuts, Mileage
organizations on various social issues that impact
Reimbursement Policy Explained
Celebrate Black History Month: Labor Icons
everyone.
Lucy Parsons and Asa Philip Randolph
Common Class Info Session, Check Balances,
Alternative Work Schedule Cmte. and more
Upcoming Membership Meetings Labor
p.9
p.7
L21 in SF Contract Extension, and Oakland
Council Sworn In
p.8
Weingarten Rights, Union Plus, L21 and
Oakland Women’s March
p.10 Icons (Con’t)
IFPTELocal21.org
L21 “In the House” at Race and Equity Kick-Off
Upcoming
Union Dues are Tax Deductible
Not all members know that at tax time, they can reap tax
benefits with their Union dues. If you itemize your taxes, all
your dues are tax deductible, so review your last paycheck
to see the annual dues contribution for 2016 and make sure
that you take all the deductions you have coming to you.
Combine the tax savings of itemizing your dues to the
savings under our Union Plus program and membership in
IFPTE local 21 can pay for itself!
Please note: voluntary contributions to our Political Action
Committee, the TJ Anthony Fund, are NOT tax deductible.
Training and Development Opportunities
There are City-wide training opportunities available for
members in Oakland at no cost to the members or their
departments. The offerings are varied and worth taking a
look to see if there is something that could help you in your
daily work for the City.
Sample of January trainings include:
 Diversity in Action (2 sessions)
 Sexual Harassment Prevention for Supervisors
 Tax Plan Your Retirement Accounts
 Day to Day Supervision
 Unconscious Bias in the Workplace
 Wellness Webinar: What are My Kids Doing Online?
 Effective Emails and Communications
 Race and Equity Lunchtime Learning Series:
Advocacy and Activism on Race



Trainings at the Port of Oakland
Ace the Internal Interview
Word 2016 Level 2
Effective Communication
Register at https://oaklandnet.secure.force.com/training or
contact Andrea Pomicpic [email protected].
By Moises Montoya, Engineer, Architects and Real Estate Agents
Chapter officer and Public Works Race and Equity Team Member
On Thursday afternoon, January 19, 2017, the City of Oakland’s
Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) held its first Race
and Equity Team Kick-off meeting and training. Recently-formed
teams from almost every City Department enthusiastically filled
downtown’s 250 Frank H. Ogawa 6th floor lunch room for this allhands training event. Employee representatives gathered from
Economic Development, Parks and Recreation, Planning and
Building, Human Resources, Library, Finances, Information
Technology, and more.
GARE spokespersons welcomed participants and City leaders,
including Deputy City Administrator Stephanie Hom, added their
support before new Department of Race Equity (DORE) Director
Darlene Flynn made a presentation. Ms. Flynn, who’s come to
Oakland from Seattle, Washington, led the assembly through a
number of entertaining and thought-provoking exercises,
introducing participants to issues of race and parity awareness and
also indicating future DORE coaching.
For example, what began as a fairy-tale (or “Drawbridge Exercise”)
revealed itself as an intriguing drill into socio-cultural assumptions,
and how each of us may assign responsibility towards others for
certain actions, and how this affects our sense of fairness. The
exercise had a hypothetical, European Middle Age backdrop: A
Baron leaves on a trip and warns his new wife not to leave the castle
or risk his punishment. While the ruler’s gone, she leaves the
stronghold to meet a childhood friend. After a series of interactions
with others refusing to help her, a Gateman kills her for defying him
and attempting to cross the drawbridge. Thereafter, each person
ranked who’s most responsible for the Baroness’ death and why. A
group review of participants’ answers helped everyone learn about
today’s prevalent norms and stereotypes directly applicable to race,
gender, social relations and notions of impartiality.
Since 1996’s passage of California Proposition 209, where race was
banned from factoring in college admissions, Oakland has had no
affirmative action hiring, promotion or service delivery
criteria. “Workplace fairness and effectiveness today require
clearer, measurable race, gender, and broader equity lenses. DOREinitiated, citywide training and Local 21 member participation is a
key part of marking and maintaining our City’s historic commitment
to diversity,” said Montoya.
Look for future Race and Equity trainings, and for further
information you may also contact your Departmental Race and
Equity Team member or City H.R. Training Coordinator Andrea
Pomicpic at [email protected].
Contract Bargaining Team to be Selected Soon
When our new Chapter officers were
sworn into office, one of their first duties
was to select bargaining team members
for their Chapter. This process is still
happening. A complete list of bargaining
team members for each Chapter will be
posted in the March Oakland Bulletin.
Support our Union Bargaining
Team! Join the CAT!
Once our team is selected, members will
receive a training on what to expect at
the bargaining table, what our Union
expects of them, how bargaining will
work, etc.
Negotiations will start in March and a full schedule of sessions is still in the
works with the City of Oakland. There is a lot of work for our bargaining team
to do before then. First is the preparation of proposals. The bargaining team
will review the Survey Monkey responses to help determine bargaining
priorities. Local 21 staff will draft language for team approval based on both
the feedback from our survey as well as proven Union-power building
language provisions, such as paid time for Union orientation.
Once we get into bargaining, our Union is committed to working with
bargaining team members to create a bargaining bulletin following each
session. Our Contract Action Team will deliver the updates and we will even
pioneer some video updates so members can hear directly from their
representatives at the bargaining table.
CalPERS Cuts Investment Target, Costing You More
Our state pension system, CalPERS, which represents more than 1.7M
workers, recently had to lower investment expectations, which will add
additional strain to Oakland’s budget.
By lowering the investment targets, CalPERS is forcing local governments to
pay more and because of the pension reform bills passed several years ago,
the cost of pensions must be shared equally with employees. The law
prohibits our Union from negotiating the City pay for the pension increase.
CalPERS has always assumed an annual return rate of 7.5% on its $300B
investment portfolio and bills cities like Oakland according to that return. For
years during the economic downtown, investment returns were far below
the budgeted 7.5% rate, which would normally require the pension plan to
increase contributions to make up the difference between expected and
actual investment dollars. To do so when cities were struggling with budgets,
CalPERS realized, would have forced financial ruin for many cities like
Oakland, resulting in even more layoffs and other drastic cost cutting
measures. Instead, CalPERS absorbed the losses.
Now that the economy is better, CalPERS is seeking to recoup some of the
lost investment dollars by increasing the contributions by employers and
workers.
The New York Times wrote “the differences may sound small, but just a slight
reduction in the assumed rate drives up the cost sharply, because it is
multiplied across decades and for thousands of retirees.” The Times’ analysis
shows that just the ½% shift will force the state to contribute an additional
$2B for state workers.
For the City of Oakland, the impact of this pension
change will cost the city up to an additional $16M.
Oakland employees participate in one of the
strongest pensions in the nation. Recently, the City
has added ROTH IRAs as a retirement savings
option for members. What is the difference
between pensions and 401ks and other
investment tools?
The big difference is who takes the risk.
Pensions = Defined Benefit Plan
In a pension system, the plan takes on the risk.
Members contribute money according to a
schedule and use a formula to calculate their
retirement. Members have peace of mind knowing
what their pension will be worth based on that
formula. When the economy takes a nose dive, our
members’ pensions are still protected and not
wiped out.
401K, ROTH IRA, etc. = Defined Contribution Plan
In these systems, the risk is on the worker. There is
no guaranteed rate of return. Sometimes, when
the economy is booming, these accounts grow fast.
When the economy struggles, however, these can
be quickly depleted. While diversification of your
investments can help prevent huge losses, the
stock market is volatile and it is the investor taking
all the risks.
Contract Action Team Needs You!
What is the Contract Action Team (CAT)?
Our CAT’s mission is to involve as many members
as possible in our fight for a strong new contract in
Oakland. CAT members work with Local 21 staff
and leaders to not only inform members about
what’s happening at the bargaining table, but
mobilize members for actions in support of our
bargaining. Our CAT is also our communication
system from the membership to the bargaining
team.
Who can join CAT?
Any and all members that want to build power for
a better contract can participate. Never been a
Union activist before? The CAT is the perfect place
to start because mentorship from our Union staff
and other members is always available.
When is the next CAT meeting?
Tuesday, February 28th and every 4th Tuesday of
the month. 12:00 Noon. Local 21 offices at 1440
Broadway, Suite 610. Lunch is provided.
Please RSVP to [email protected] so we can
ensure we have enough lunches for everyone.
Local 21 Chapter Leaders
Public Works/DOT Re-Org Update
(emails are @oaklandnet.com unless otherwise noted)
As reported in our January Oakland Bulletin, our Union leaders have
been in meet and confer sessions with the City of Oakland regarding
Acting Pay. We have agreed that members can act as a supervisor or
manager outside their chain of command.
Engineers and Architects
President: Anthony Reese areese@
Vice President: Bert Chang bchang@
Political Issues Coordinator: Moises Montoya
mmontoya@
Recording Secretary/Treasurer: Jeff Krohn jkrohn@
Administrative & Professionals
President: Zach Seal zseal@
Vice President Administrative Unit: Kay Williams
kjwilliams@
Vice President Professionals Unit: Vacant
Recording Secretary: Jennifer Foster jfoster@
Sergeant at Arms: Sylvia McDaniels smcdaniels@
Political Issues Coordinator: Laura Takeshita
ltakeshita@
Membership Director: Ferial Mosley fmosley@
Supervisors & Managers
President: Joseph Tanios jtanios@
Vice President Supervisors Unit: Harry Battiste, Jr.
hbattiste@
Vice President Managers Unit: Shahla Azimi sazimi@
Recording Secretary: Jacqueline Long jlong@
Sergeant at Arms: Diane Tannenwald dtannenwald@
Political Issues Coordinator: Arlette Flores-Medina
[email protected]
Membership Director: Sarah Herbelin sherbelin@
Deputy City Attorneys & Special Council
President: Kathleen Salem Boyd
[email protected]
Local 21 Executive Committee Members
Vice President for Oakland: Renee Sykes
[email protected]
Vice President for Political and Leg. Action: Tom Manley
[email protected]
Local 21 Oakland Staff and Office Address
Karmen Lee Ortloff [email protected] 510.254.4682
Subha Varadarajan [email protected] 510.254.4681
1440 Broadway, 6th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
www.ifpte21.org
If you have an issue you would like to discuss
with a Union Steward, you can contact the
following Union Point of Contact (UPOC):



Yvette Harris: [email protected]
Renee Sykes: [email protected]
Laura Takeshita: [email protected]
For Civil Service exempt positions (which are the Operations Manager
positions, for example) management will retain thier rights to select
who will act in those positions.
For all other positions, when there is an acting assignment that is for
greater than 30 days, we are working on a Letter of Understanding
with the City that will create a list from which the City will assign the
acting duties. So far, we have agreed that the list will be voluntary
and interested members will confirm their interest in writing. Second,
interested parties must meet the minimum qualifications for the
position they will be acting in (while some classification specs will
eventually be updated to reflect that an engineering degree is not
mandatory for a position and relevant experience can satisfy the
minimum qualifications, there will be positions in which a civil
engineering degree, for example, must remain.
Our Union leaders would like some feedback on how the City will
select from this qualified volunteer list. Here is the language the City
proposed (note: our Union has not agreed to this language):
In cases where there is a vacancy that exceeds 30 days, the City shall make
every reasonable effort to rotate acting assignments by rank order of an
existing eligibility list in the appropriate classification. In the absence of an
eligibility list of the appropriate classification, the City will create an “Acting
List.” In order to be added to the Acting List, the Local 21 employee must
voluntarily agree to be added to the Acting List and must “reasonably meet
the minimum qualifications” of the position for which they may be acting for
the Department(s). The term “reasonably meet the minimum qualifications”
means for civil service classifications, the employee possesses any required
license(s) or certificate(s), is in a feeder classification, an immediately lower
classification in the same series, or in a similar classification.”
Our Union will host two information sessions to discuss this language
with members. Please note: this language is a pilot program and will
ONLY apply to employees in Public Works and the Department of
Transportation.
“We have been working with the
City to craft the best possible
language that protects the rights
of our members and we want to
hear your thoughts. If you are in
Public Works or DOT, please plan
to join us at one of our two
membership meetings.” –Harry
Batiste, Jr., VP Supervisors,
H&M Chapter
Fri., Feb. 24
11:30 am
Corp Yard, Ready Room
Wed., March 1
12:00 noon
City Hall, Hearing Rm #3
Trump Threatens $130M in Cuts to Oakland
On January 25th, the mayors of the Bay Area's three largest cities, Oakland, San
Francisco and San Jose, and the City of Berkeley spoke out against President
Trump's executive order on immigration that threatened to cut federal funding
to cities that refused to comply with immigration efforts. (Sanctuary Cities are
those that refuse to arrest immigrants based only immigration status.)
Together, the mayors reaffirmed their commitment to working together to
address the many challenges our region faces from growing income inequality,
lack of affordable housing, better education outcomes, job creation and
transportation infrastructure improvement.
The mayors also vowed to take a regional approach to combat the impacts of
any threatened cuts in federal funding that would adversely affect the nearly
two and half million residents of diverse backgrounds who reside in their cities.
"The Bay Area stands united against this White House's morally bankrupt
policies that would divide families, turn our nation's back on refugees in need,
and potentially thwart the efforts of nearly one million productive young
people who are on a legal path to citizenship,” said Oakland Mayor Libby
Schaaf. “Oaklanders rely on $130 million in federal funding for everything from
early education programs like Head Start to getting officers out of their cars
and onto our streets at a time when community policing is so desperately
needed. We will not allow this president to play politics with our safety and
security."
Local 21 Research and Legal Specialist Ana Guzina recently went to an
education session that discussed the impact of the President’s actions. “I found
it encouraging,” said Guzina. “Trump’s actions will require more than one
executive order to actually be implemented across the board. The Sanctuary
City piece in particular is interesting because it requires Congressional action
and because the Constitution prohibits the federal government from
conditioning funding in order to force local agencies to cooperate with the
federal government. An attempt to revoke ALL federal funding will face legal
challenges because there is Supreme Court precedent that requires some
nexus. Congress can only cut off funds if the conditions imposed are relevant
to the federal interest in the project and the threatened loss of money doesn’t
amount to a gun to the head, defined by a substantial percentage
(approximately 20%) of states’ budgets. So Trump technically can't revoke
funding that goes to education or other social services to punish Oakland for
refusing to notify the feds about immigrants that are in police custody. This
doesn't mean he won't try.”
Here are some of the Oakland cuts:




$20M in Health and Human Services grants that pay for Oakland’s
Head Start program for low income children and other services for the
needy.
$12.2M in Housing and Urban Development funds that are used to
pay for low-income and affordable housing and other programs.
$35M in federal transportation funds.
$9.3M in Department of Justice and Homeland Security grants.
Want to stand up to fight these cuts? There are many things members can do.
Consider a voluntary contribution to our TJ Anthony Fund, our political fund
that works to fight unjust legislative and political actions. You can sign up online
at http://www.ifpte21.org/content/donate-tj-anthony-fund.
Next, get involved in our Union. Our political issues coordinators from each
Chapter (see page 4) will be working with members on letter writing campaigns,
phone blitzes and more.
Mileage Reimbursement Policy (AI
120) Explained
There is some confusion from members about the
mileage reimbursement policy in the City of
Oakland (AI 120) and we want to help clarify this
policy.
First of all, and this is a surprise for many people,
employers are not legally obligated to reimburse
employees for work related travel. Luckily, we are
not in the position of having to force the City to
reimburse for travel. That said, the City will
reimburse only for the portion that exceeds daily
round trip commuting mileage between home and
the workplace. Here’s how the work-related travel
policy works in real life:
1.
If you drive to work and then to a workrelated meetings and from that meeting,
drive home (adding an extra 10 miles to
your daily commute), you will be
reimbursed for the 10 miles.
2.
If you drive to an all day conference and
back home and it is 20 miles less than your
normal commute, you will not be
reimbursed anything for travel that day
under the AI.
3.
If you drive to work, to a work-related
meeting outside of your office and back to
the office, adding to your daily commute,
you will be reimbursed for all those extra
work-related miles to and from the outside
meeting.
While it would be legal for an employer to pay for
your commute in the second example above, it is
not required under law and the Oakland AI doesn’t
make the City do so; in this case, however, you can
deduct these miles as business related expenses on
your taxes.
What if I walk or bike to work? When I drive to a
conference, I put all the miles on my car, miles that
I normally wouldn’t each day and yet I am not
reimbursed?
Unfortunately, yes, you won’t get reimbursed for
the miles put on your car under the City’s AI 120.
The AI makes the assumption that commuting
expenses are related to owning a car and therefore,
only reimburses for the miles outside your normal
commute. If you don’t have any commuting costs
because you walk or bike to work, the AI does not
treat your situation any differently than if you drove
to work each day.
Common Class Study Information Session
In the past few Bulletins, we have shared detailed information about the Common Class Study currently being undertaken to compare
City of Oakland and Port positions. Our Union has set up an information session for interested members to learn more about the
process. Please note, while the session is open to any member that is interested, you will need to work out release time with your
managers in order to attend.
Additionally, please note that this meeting will only go over the methodology and discuss the process. This is not the meeting in
which decisions as to whether or not a common class exists will be made, nor are the decision makers (the Civil Service Board)
going to be in attendance. This is an information session to get our members up to speed only.
To make your attendance more meaningful, please download the presentation documents in advance. The presentations are slides
43-76 in this document: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/hrm/documents/agenda/oak062393.pdf.
Tuesday, February 14th (Valentine’s Day!)
1:00 – 3:00 pm (though it may not take a full two hours)
Port of Oakland Board Room, 530 Water Street
(Take the free Broadway Shuttle or use your Local 21 supplied AC Transit pass down to Jack London Square. The entrance to 530
Water Street is on the back side of the same building as BevMo.)
4% COLA in Effect! Check Your Leave Balances
"Two important payroll reminders: remember to
verify you received your 4% COLA effective 1/14/2017,
and don't forget to compare your leave balance
accruals (i.e. vacation, sick, etc.) in Oracle R12 against
the old Oracle system (still accessible as "view only")
to ensure your balance transfers are accurate and your
accrual rates are correct. If you have payroll related
issues, please visit http://oaklandnet.force.com/ and
submit a ticket.”
-- Jennifer Foster, A&W Chapter Secretary
Alternative Work Schedule (AWS) Update
In two meetings with the City of Oakland, we have made a lot of progress on the
Alternative Work Schedule (AWS) Administrative Instruction. While the AWS may
not work for every department and every member of our Union, we have worked
to ensure that there is an objective process for members to request the AWS and
have the request evaluated. There is also an appeal process so members can get
a fair review of their request if they feel that a denial was not based on legitimate
business needs.
One of the remaining discussion points for our Union and the City is the start date
of the new AI. The City would like it to start in July, with a new fiscal year, while
our Union team believes that not only should the assessment on which to grant
or deny an AWS to a members should be quickly decided, so too should the
implementation of this new AI.
Once we get the remaining details hammed out, the City will take the Uniongenerated draft AWS and put it out to all Department Directors for feedback,
which will take a couple of weeks. Depending on whether or not there are changes
made, we may need another session or two to finalize.
Using Professional Development $
Professional development money in our MOU
can be used for books, periodicals,
professional associations and conferences.
Phones, computers, tablets, etc. should be
provided by your department for members
that need them.
“I didn’t use my Professional Development
dollars from last year so they rolled over to
this year and I plan to
use both years’ dollars
to attend a conference
this year.”
-- George Binda,
IS Manager I
32 City Unions in San Francisco Join Local 21 in Reaching
a Tentative Extension Agreement
All but one city union, including IFPTE Local 21 and SEIU 1021, which represent
the largest groups of unionized city workers, have reached Tentative Extension
Agreements with the City to extend their contracts for a 2-year term. The
Tentative Extension Agreements (TEAs) will now go through each Union’s
ratification process. These TEAs all have the same major terms, which include
3% wage increases each year of the Agreements. In the event that the City’s
2018 March Joint Report shows a projected budget deficit of more than $200
million, the second year’s 3% wage increase will be pushed back six months. If
there is a recession, or the new Trump administration cuts funding to sanctuary
cities like San Francisco, the City will be able to save some money by pushing
back raises. At the same time, City workers will still be guaranteed raises that
keep up with CPI increases.
Local 21’s Tentative Extension Agreement includes the following:
 3% increase effective 7/1/17
 3% increase effective 7/1/18 unless the City’s 2018 March
Joint Report shows a projected budget deficit of more than
$200 million, in which case the 3% increase will take place 6
months later, on 1/1/19 instead.
 The City has also agreed to eliminate pay increase rounding
(the City has been rounding pay increases to the nearest
number, resulting in some employees losing money). Now,
employees will get the full amount of the raise without
rounding. The City also made a commitment to address other
contract issues at our Union City Relation Committee (UCRC).
The San Francisco Council, Local 21’s elected leadership body, voted
overwhelmingly last week to authorize entering into a Tentative Agreement on
the contract extension. They also recommend that the Local 21 membership
vote to ratify the TEA. Before the vote, member leaders from all over the city
were assigned to talk with members in their chapters and they reported back to
the Council that member support for the Agreement’s terms was
overwhelmingly favorable.
Discussion focused on several important factors. The current political forecast
and the potential cuts to federal and state funding were a major consideration
for members. Also, data from members who took the bargaining survey
indicated a majority support for salary increases in this range. Lastly, keeping
pace with the cost of living is always a priority, and the upcoming CPI numbers
are likely to show a cost of living increase of around 3%. At the conclusion of this
discussion, the Council voted to approve a Tentative Extension Agreement with
the City for the above terms.
“I have spoken with
members about the
extension
and
the
consensus is that given
the economic uncertainty
we face with the new
administration, a secure
contract is the right way
to go.” –Gus Vallejo, San
Francisco Vice President
New Oakland Council Sworn In
From left to right: Bob Muscat, Local 21 Executive
Director administering the oath of office; Sarah
Herbelin, H&M Chapter Membership Director; Kay
Williams, Unit W VP, A&W Chapter; Jennifer
Foster, A&W Chapter Secretary; Arly FloresMedina, H&M Political Action Coordinator; Sylvia
McDaniels, A&W Chapter Sergeant at Arms; and
Ferial Mosley, A&W Chapter Membership
Director.
From left to right: Laura Takeshita, A&W Chapter
Political Action Coordinator; Moises Montoya,
Engineers, Architects and Real Estate Agents
Chapter Political Action Coordinator; Joseph
Tanios, H&M Chapter President; Anthony Reese,
Engineers, Architects and Real Estate Agents
Chapter President; Zach Seal, A&W Chapter
President; Shahla Azimi, Unit M VP, H&M Chapter.
In exchange for the security of guaranteed raises in the current climate of
unpredictability, participating Unions will not go into full bargaining with a list
of proposals if the TEAs are approved by the memberships.
Local 21 Executive Director Bob Muscat adds, “Given the new Trump
administration and the possible funding cuts coming, we see the advantage of
having a closed contract that is both fair and smart.”
The Local 21 TEA must be approved by Local 21 members and the San Francisco
Board of Supervisors. Local 21’s ratification process, in which members will cast
secret ballots, will take place in February. Stay tuned for more information and
on how and where to vote!
Oakland City Council also
swore in our Local 21
endorsed allies: Larry Reid
at mic and Noel Gallo
seated.
Local 21 Members Save Money
with Union Plus
Being an IFPTE Local 21 member doesn’t only
provide advantages at work & bargaining
table; you can save on products
& services. For more info,
download a free QR reader
app on your smart phone to scan
the image below to go directly to the
webpage or visit the Union Plus page via Local 21 at:
http://www.ifpte21.org/content/union-plus-discounts.
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Motor Club Savings
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Car Buying Services & Rentals
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Legal Services
Goodyear Tires & Services 
Discounts
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Scholarships
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Bookstore Discounts
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Home Mortgages &
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Assistance Hotline
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Credit Counseling
Energy Rebates
Tax Preparation
Retirement Planning
Vacation Tours
Eldercare Services
AT&T Wireless
Discounts
Clothing
Checks
Computers
Pet Services
Flowers
Entertainment
Much, much more!
Local 21 Shows Up in Full Force at Oakland Women’s March
About 100,000 people marched in Oakland’s Women’s March, extending 40 city blocks, on January 21st. The Women’s Marches across
 Checks
the nation made it clear to the new White House administration that draconian cuts to local government and rollbacks to labor,
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immigrant, women, people of color and LGBTQ rights would be met with stiff opposition. A Local 21 delegation of more than 60 members
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marched together in Oakland, with a small group of Local 21 members traveling to the March in Washington, DC.
 Flowers
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Equipped with a bullhorn, Local 21 lead the crowd chanting, “We’re women, we’re loud! We’re organized and we’re proud!” Local 21
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Much,
signs varied from serious “Never be deceived that the rich will permit you to
awaymuch
theirmore!
wealth,” which is a quote from Labor Icon
Lucy Parsons (who is featured in a Black History Month profile on page 9), to the silly, reading “Spread Nutella, not fear!” and “Free
Melania!”
“Federal cuts in local government funding, especially
the proposed dismantling of the Affordable Care Act,
will have a devastating effect on the people we serve
through local government services,” said Local 21
Oakland VP Renee Sykes. “The march was just the first
step. Now every single Local 21 member must step up
and continue to fight to preserve our rights!”
To view more Local 21 March photos, visit
https://www.facebook.com/IFPTELocal21/photos/?tab
=album&album_id=1341520432553535.p
For ideas on next steps you can take, visit the Local 21
website at http://www.ifpte21.org/content/local-21shows-full-force-women’s-marches.
Labor Icon: Asa Philips
Randolph
Labor Icons: Lucy Parsons
For almost 70 years, Lucy Parsons fought for the rights of
the poor and disenfranchised in the face of an increasingly
oppressive system. Her radical activism challenged the
racist and sexist sentiment in a time when even radical
Americans believed a woman's place was in the home.
The Labor Movement has been part
of Civil Rights struggles and we have
shared many important leaders.
One of our most important Labor
Hero/Civil Rights leader was Asa
Philip Randolph, founder of the
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters.
Parsons was multi-racial, her parents were former slaves
of African, Native American and Mexican heritage. In 1870
she married Albert Parsons, an illegal interracial marriage.
With the threat of lynching looming over them due to their
marriage and because they registered black voters, the
couple left Texas and arrived in Chicago in 1873.
In 1886, workers nationwide were striking for an eight hour day and the Parsons were in the
center of the battles in Chicago. On May 3rd, a strike at McCormick Harvest Works turned
violent when police fired into a crowd of unarmed workers, killing four and wounding many
others. Labor activists organized a peaceful protest in Haymarket Square, which was disrupted
by police. An unknown figure threw a bomb, killing one officer. Police raided homes and pubs,
rounding up labor leaders. Albert walked into court to turn himself in and sit on trial with his
comrades, even though he wasn’t present at the time of the bombing. Lucy was not tried
because prosecutors believed it lessened the chance of conviction to have a woman on trial.
Albert was sentenced to death, along with other activists in a trial that admittedly put the
defendant’s ideals on trial (the prosecution conceded that none were involved in the
bombing). Albert became a martyr for the Labor Movement and was executed on November
11, 1887. Lucy brought her two children to see their father one last time, but she was arrested,
along with her kids, taken to jail, forced to strip, and left naked with her children in a cold cell
until the hanging of her husband was over. In tears upon her release, she vowed to continue
to fight injustice. She toured the nation, bringing attention to the unjust trial and collecting
funds for the exoneration of the Haymarket Martyrs. Everywhere she went, Lucy was met with
armed police who would attempt to block her from entering meeting halls. She was considered
far more dangerous than her husband because of her militant beliefs on workers’ rights.
In 1905, Lucy was present at the founding of the International Workers of the World, the IWW,
that believed in organizing workers across all crafts, races and genders, a philosophy that
matched her own. Lucy took a stand on other women's issues, supporting a woman's right to
divorce, remarry, and have access to birth control. She led the IWW’s Unemployment
Committee in San Francisco and when the city refused to acknowledge the committee, she
organized a march of 10,000 workers, with unemployed women in the front. When she moved
back to Chicago, she led demonstrations in 1915 against hunger with Jane Addam’s Hull House
and got results, as the City started to pay attention to hunger and employment policies.
Lucy lead a clemency campaign for the “Scottsboro 8,” a group of African American men falsely
convicted of rape, which openly challenged racism in the US Court system for the first time.
Lucy’s efforts helped pave the road for the civil rights movement nearly three decades later
and served as an inspiration for activists for generations to come.
Lucy was active in the fight against oppression until her death. An accidental fire killed her on
March 7, 1942 at the age of 89. To add to this tragedy, Lucy's library of 1,500 books on sex,
socialism and anarchy were confiscated by the FBI, along with all of her personal papers. The
struggle for fundamental freedom of speech, in which Lucy had engaged throughout her life,
continued through her death as authorities tried to silence this radical woman by robbing her
of her life’s work. For more, visit https://iww.org/history/biography/LucyParsons/1.
Randolph traveled the country in
the years leading up to World War
II, advocating for economic
freedom through good jobs and
organizing
African
Americans
against the discrimination that
locked them out of good paying
factory jobs. His efforts led
President Roosevelt to sign an
executive
order
ending
discrimination in defense plant
jobs. His efforts later led President
Truman to order an end to
discrimination in the armed forces
and federal civil service jobs.
Randolph was one of the key
organizers of the 1958 and 1959
marches for school integration and
led the 1963 March on Washington,
where Dr. King recited his famous “I
Have a Dream” speech. A quarter of
a million Americans marched that
day under the banner of “Jobs and
Freedom.” The Civil Rights Act and
Voting Rights Act are something he
advocated for as a Union leader for
years before they came to fruition.
(Continued on page 10)
“The labor movement traditionally
has been the only haven for the
Upcoming Chapter Membership Meetings
Engineers, Architects and Real Estate Agents
Chapter
1st Thursday of the Month
12:00 Noon
Hearing Room 3
February 2, March 2, April 6, May 4, June 1
Admin and Professionals Chapter
1st Friday of the Month
12:00 Noon
Hearing Room 3
February 3, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2
Supervisors and Managers Chapter
2nd Wednesday of the Month
Meetings rotate between the Corp Yard and City Hall
12:00 Noon
Hearing Room 3
March 8, May 10
11:30 am
Corp Yard Ready Room on Edgewater
February 8, April 12, June 14
Deputy City Attorneys Chapter
Meetings held as needed
Members are welcome to join any other Chapter meeting
Join Our Contract Action Team (CAT)
Our Contract Action Team is our Union’s eyes and ears on the
ground during negotiations. Our CAT not only will deliver the latest
news from our bargaining table to members, but will collect
valuable information to bring back to our bargaining team, lead our
actions and be a crucial part of a successful contract campaign for
IFPTE Local 21 members in Oakland.
We need you! RSVP to [email protected].
4th Tuesday of the Month
12:00 noon
1440 Broadway, Suite 610
Febrauary 28th, March 28, April 25, May 23, June 27
Labor Icon: Asa Philips Randolph (Con’t)
“The labor movement traditionally has been the only haven
for the dispossessed, the despised, the neglected, the
downtrodden and the poor.” —A. Philip Randolph
In the early 1920’s, a group of Pullman Porters asked
Randolph for help organizing a Union. At the time, the
Pullman Sleeping Cars, fancy first class railroad cars was
essentially a “hotel.” Porters were expected to be available
to serve customers 24 hours a day with no breaks and
worked only for tips. The Pullman Company, in an effort to
standardize service across the company and strip Porters of
their dignity, renamed all Porters “George” (check out the
movie "10,000 Black Men Named George” for their story).
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was officially
announced in 1925 and it took Randolph and the Porters
twelve long years of fighting to be recognized as a Union by
the employer. The company worked to intimidate Union
supporters with threats of harder (or no) assignments and
often the wives of Porters that would meet in secret to
organize for their husbands so they would not be fired.
Randolph’s rallying cry was “Black men are able to measure
up” and while the Brotherhood faced down their employer
alone with no financial backing, they won their first contract
after two years of negotiations. According to the A. Philip
Randolph website, “A small band of brothers— Black— had
stood together and won against a corporation that had said
it would never sit down and negotiate with porters.”
The Pullman Porters were crucial to the creation of the black
middle class and counted Malcom X and Supreme Court
Justice Thurgood Marshall as members; former San
Francisco Mayor Willie Brown is the son of a Porter.
It is important to note that there was still discrimination and
racism in the Labor Movement, but Randolph understood
that economic freedom was the way to change the nation.
He wrote in an editorial that “the history of the Labor
Movement in America proves that the employing classes
recognize no race lines, they will exploit a white man as
readily as a black man… they will exploit any race or class in
order to make profits. The combination of black and white
workers will be a powerful lesson to the capitalists of the
solidarity of Labor. It will show that Labor, black and white,
is conscious of its interests and power. This will prove that
Unions are not based upon race lines, but upon class lines."
Randolph was the conscience of the Labor Movement, rising
to Vice President of the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council in 1955.
He worked to remove racial discrimination from the AFL-CIO,
and was a vocal advocate for Mexican Americans, Native
Americans, and poor whites across the country. He ensured
Labor was on the front of the Civil Rights Movement.
The A. Philip Randolph Institute is and AFL-CIO affiliated
organization of black trade Unionists, working to build black
community support for the Labor Movement and continues
Randolph’s vision, values and work today. www.apri.org