In February we wrote to you that your boss, despite all evidence, is pretending that the pandemic and all related impacts are over. We also said: “Solidarity means empathy and resolve on behalf of your coworkers even when you don’t share their risks or situation. What are you and your coworkers going to do about it?“

Here are some key next steps:

1. Please fill out this survey to inform upcoming COVID Safety bargaining with City.

2. Zoom link for Friday’s (March 24) 1pm COVID-19 Bargaining Session (open to all workers):

3. Talk to your co-workers!

Note: how the City treats workers for safety at work is exactly how they will be treating workers with respect to inflation, cost of living, layoffs, and takeaways for benefits.

Background:

Labor law requires the City to meet and confer with us before changing policies that impact the health and safety of workers. Instead, in violation of the law, the City Manager flippantly offered a ‘town hall-style meet and discuss’ and proceeded to remove safety measures on March 1 without consulting workers.

City Management tried, but failed, to rescind the local emergency on February 28 (Council extended the emergency for political reasons unrelated to worker safety). However, they seized upon the rescission of the State of Emergency declaration to remove a number of City COVID measures on March 1, with the following non-comprehensive list of implications:

1. lifting the mask mandate within all City buildings except health care settings; 
2. removing vaccine mandate for City workers;
3. creating deep uncertainty about the status of COVID leave; 
4. prompting urgent questions about
   1. the adequacy of the City’s ventilation systems and policies;
   2. the status of telework;
   3. accessibility and affordability of testing and high quality n95 masks.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 waste water levels in the East Bay are near the highest they’ve been since March 2022:

Now, as a union, we are moving forward with filing unfair labor practice charges against the City and forcing the City to bargain with us over the impacts of their decision. You and your co-workers’ participation is key to building power and securing the changes needed to keep everyone safe.