One-Day Strike
By Miles Shuper
Tulare County - In the midst of yet another plea for county officials to return to the bargaining table, Tulare County workers announced a one-day strike to drive home their contention the county is treating a large number of workers unfairly.
The strike was scheduled from 6 a.m. to as late as 5:30 p.m. Wednesday but would not involve any essential county staff, said officials of Service Employees International Union Local 521 which represents about 2,700 county workers. But union official Tom Abshere, who announced the strike, could not say how many workers would go out on strike.
Sheriff's and County Fire Department personnel are not involved in that union and county officials said no essential services would be disrupted. Main sites for the strike will be the Visalia Court House at the Civic Center at Mooney and Burrel, the Porterville Government Plaza on West Henderson and the Visalia Government Plaza on South Mooney across from Mooney Grove Park.
The announcement came at mid-morning Tuesday near the end of the regular session of county supervisors.
Union officials also announced an unfair labor practice complaint has been filed against the county. On Sept. 23, the county rejected the latest union offer and imposed its own final offer granting union members a 2.75 percent raise, a one-time $500 cash payment and some increases in health care benefits.
For the last several weeks, various union members have addressed the board citing personal examples of being unable to make ends meet, especially in health care, noting that some county workers are forced to seek welfare benefits for their families.
The county has admitted its pay scale for many positions is below those for other Valley counties and efforts are being made to address that, but the demands by the SEIU unions simply are beyond the county's fiscal means.
Workers, however, dispute that and point to higher wage increases given to management positions while those who are struggling at low pay levels are being unfairly treated.
The union says management has been given wage increases of up to 10 percent each year and that County Supervisors are the third highest paid in the Valley.
Employees have been working without a contract since June 30 and now are paid according to the scheduled approved by the Board last month.
Union officials would not say what future actions would be taken.
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