Oakland City Employees Unite to Save Public Services

With the Coliseum sale in jeopardy, union members fight for urgent action

OAKLAND, Calif., June 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to criticisms of balancing the budget with one-time funds, unions representing Oakland city employees assert their firm stance that the Coliseum sale must move forward on time and be used to protect public services. The coalition of unions includes 4,000 city workers in IFPTE Local 21, SEIU 1021, IBEW 1245, and Oakland Firefighters Local 55.

City workers plan on attending the Friday, June 28 City Council meeting to advocate for these priorities in the 2024-2025 Mid-cycle Adjustments Budget. Represented union members serve as firefighters, 911 dispatchers, illegal dumping crews, head start coordinators, and librarians along with hundreds of other jobs that keep Oakland running every single day.

"This potential setback will severely undermine efforts to keep Oakland clean, safe, and healthy by harming the communities that need it most and those who perform the critical work of providing and keeping Oakland clean and safe," stated Antoinette Blue, Police Communications Dispatcher and SEIU 1021 Chapter President for the City of Oakland.

"The revenue coming from the Coliseum sale right now is a life raft for public safety, our libraries, our parks, our infrastructure, and more," said Zac Unger, firefighter and IAFF 55 President. "The fiscally responsible thing to do is to use the sale to save our services."

"City workers are the backbone of our essential services," said lead electrician Michael Patterson, IBEW Local 1245. "Cutting staff means cutting services. Residents deserve better."

"Why would anyone scapegoat workers when corporations in Oakland aren't even paying their taxes?" said Julian Ware, IFPTE Local 21 Oakland Vice President. "After this is over, the City must explore every avenue to collect revenue."

City workers have made many sacrifices over the years to balance the City's budget, including millions in concessions during the Great Recession. In 2017, the City of Oakland commissioned a third party to conduct a study of compensation for civilian employees, which found that many of our staff were paid on average 10% less than neighboring agencies, with some positions more than 20% behind. The City's own staffing reports have found that Oakland's job vacancy rate has hovered between 18% to 19% since 2022, compared to 11.03% in San Francisco, 13.46% in San Jose, 12.93% in Berkeley and 8.85% in Concord.

SOURCE IFPTE Local 21