In bargaining sessions and meetings, fellow members have said “We need more to recognize the work we do” than what ServiceNet management has offered. Our union is us, the 500 members at ServiceNet that make the agency run. We decide together what to accept or reject from management. There is no outside person making these decisions. Management has held up payment by not listening to workers.
The money they are offering as a “bonus” for March 13th through May 1st, is only a sliver of the funds the agency has available to use. For two months beginning at the start of the pandemic, members demanded hazard pay for risking their lives and ServiceNet did not offer any, until this “bonus” idea came up in late May. The top 9 executives at ServiceNet make 4 times as much as the “bonus” they are offering to 500 union members.
ServiceNet is obligated to use extra funds from the state to pay direct care workers. The question of payment is one of when and how much, not if it will happen. Millions of extra dollars have come to or are coming to ServiceNet to deal with the pandemic. Other human service agencies, public sector departments doing the same work, and many other employers having been providing continuous hazard pay since the pandemic started, and are continuing to. ServiceNet’s total budget for the year is $68 million, the total “bonus” is less than 1% of that budget.
We will be meeting with management next Tuesday morning for negotiations. Please fill out the Union Updates Sign-up if you would like to attend!
Actions you can take now and more to come:
- Meet Naria Sealy, a second union representative supporting ServiceNet workers, during her office hours this week over Zoom:
Wednesday, 15th: 8pm – 11pm
Thursday, 16th: 9am – 11am
Friday, 17th: 1pm – 3pm - Fill out the Union Updates Sign-up to get updates and share how you can be involved: https://forms.gle/NxA7ZBYrALfG1hKV9
- Ask Friends and Family to Take Action through this link to email ServiceNet: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/sue-stubbs-servicenet-can-do-better-by-frontline-workers