Local 620 staff continues to work hard in support of the members that we represent and working people in general. 2019 looks like it is another challenging year for labor and the members that Local 620 represent.
Due to two recent promotions of Local 620 members to unrepresented management position who were elected officers for Local 620’s Executive Board a special election was required for one seat on our Santa Barbara County Chapter Board and one seat Chapter Chair position for San Luis Obispo Superior Court.
I am happy to report that Gloria Gonzalez was electedas a Board Member for the County of Santa Barbara. Gloria is employed by the Department of Social Services as a Department Business Specialist II. She has been employed with the County for approximately 25 years.
Andrea Solis was elected as the new Chapter Chairperson for San Luis Obispo Superior Court. Andrea has been employed for approximately 8 years as a Legal Process Clerk II. Andrea is a Bargaining Team member and a Union Steward.
Due to these vacancies created by prior Board members being promoted and in accordance with Local 620 by-Laws if a position becomes vacant 6 months or more from the a normal election cycle, then an election is required. If a vacancy occurs within 6 months of the normal election cycle then the Executive Board can either leave the position vacant or appoint a member to the position for the remainder of the term. Nominations for both jurisdictions only resulted in one person being nominated which then negates the need for an election.
For several of our existing Board members their 2 year term of office will expire at the end of this year. In November / December of this year members will be notified to nominate either themselves or another member to run for Local 620 office. The election will take place at the end of December 2019 beginning of January 2020.
Every Local 620 member in good standing is eligible to be elected to the Executive Board. The Executive Board is the governing body for Local 620 and has final authority over the Local’s business, personnel, finances, policies and practices. Allocations of Board seats are based on number of active members for each employer with the County of Santa Barbara having 6 seats due to County’s membership being 50% of the Locals total membership, followed by 3 seats for the City of Santa Barbara and one seat for smaller employers with 80 or more employees and then we have one seat for small chapters with employers that have less than 80 members. In all we currently have 15 members who have been elected to Local 620’s Executive Board.
Board members for both SEIU State Council and SEIU International are elected in a similar fashion as Local 620, just on a bigger scale. Currently due to Local 620’s size we have one seat on SEIU’s State Council and as Executive Director, I hold that seat. Larger Locals have more seats based on their size. Issues being decided upon at the State level is typically handled by motions followed by a straight forward vote. At times a motion may be made that the election be based on a per cap vote that results in each vote of a Board member having a weighted value of the number of members in their Local.
The SEIU International Executive Board is made of State Council Board member being appointed from their State/Province Executive Boards. These appointed Board members deal with national and International issues and are governed by the elected Officers of the International Union. Every four years typically on Presidential election cycles the International has a convention where delegates from each Local come to vote on International issues, By-Law changes and an election of International Officers. The number of delegates is determined by the size of each Local. Currently Local 620 has 6 Delegates to the International convention which is appointed by Local 620’s Executive Board.
Every member in good standing has a right to run for office, not only at the local level, they can run at the international level. Service Employees International Union is a member driven organization. Our current International President came from the mental health field and through participation in her local union advanced to the position of SEIU President. Being active in your union, donating time, coworker support and caring about your coworkers and their families is all that is required to become a leader with your union. As a leader you will have the power along with other leaders to determine the goals, objectives, principles and the direction you want your union to take.
Local 620 is dedicated to providing meaningful, quality service to our members and our communities. We look forward to involvement and interaction with members both in a group setting and one on one. We value your constructive input, suggestions and we encourage you to participate in your Union.
