May 1, 2023

County Workers Demand San Mateo County Change Abusive “Extra Help” Labor System

About one hundred San Mateo County “Extra Help” workers amassed in front of the San Mateo County Center in Redwood City March 30 to highlight their fight for a fair contract and to demand changes to an abusive labor system.

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 829 and Service Employees International Union Local 521 represent 800 of the County’s 2,000 extra help employees, about 26 percent of the County workforce. The unions have been in negotiations with the County for a new contract since September 2022; the previous contract expired a year ago. SEIU 521 and AFSCME Council 57 workers in unison demanded the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors confront the harsh socioeconomic realities of Extra Help workers by ending the County’s discriminatory two-tiered labor class system. San Mateo County Extra Help Workers and supporters also held a “Rally for Equality” in January.

The unions contend that San Mateo County administration created a second-class labor system which strips frontline Extra Help workers of basic rights to negotiate their wages, health benefits, retirement, or even a paid vacation. A coalition of AFSCME Council 57 and SEIU Local 521 union members demanded fundamental changes to the system that prevents them from accessing basic rights and privileges all other county workers enjoy, despite producing identical public services.

While the extra help employees normally are hired to fill temporary vacancies, many remain classified as temporary part time employees for years.

SEIU 521 bargaining team member Gabe Maldonado has worked part time for 29 years as a Youth Counselor at the County’s residential center for foster care youth. He said that under the two-tier system, the extra help workers don’t accrue enough hours to qualify for paid sick leave, health care, or retirement benefits. He said the workers who are insured under the Affordable Care Act still face high co-pays they can’t afford. “The San Mateo Board of Supervisors say they support our common sense proposals, but while at the bargaining table, the County refuses to come to an agreement,” Maldonado said. “We ask the Board of Supervisors to show us that they support the hard working men and women who make San Mateo County run. We’ve waited a long time for fairness and equality. We can’t wait anymore.”

San Mateo County workers and union leaders point directly to high turnover, short-staffed, overstretched County resources and services as evidence of the public service crisis emerging by design of San Mateo County management. This dynamic perpetuates a second-class labor system that denies basic rights to negotiate wages, full benefit coverage, and retirement for Extra Help workers, who are predominantly women of color. Extra Help workers do the same work as their co-workers and are composed of hundreds of San Mateo County’s overall workforce.

“Extra Help workers have no more than three sick days a year,” said Mullissa Willette, President, SEIU Local 521. “That is unacceptable. County workers who live and work in the County deserve a pathway to permanency. We must also stop the union-busting at the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and ensure that our contracts are aligned with permanent workers. San Mateo is the only outlier [in the Bay Area] that treats its workers this way. We must negotiate together because our labor force works hard and our community services deserve more.”

A statement from SEIU 521 noted that, “Extra Help members work the same jobs as their full time coworkers but DO NOT receive the same benefits, work protections, or pay. It’s a broken system that the County uses to save its bottom line. Just like permanent workers, we serve our community. Unfortunately, our contract does not provide comprehensive benefits which allow us to recruit and retain workers. To provide the best service to our county, we need a fair contract. We believe strongly in making the term ‘extra help’ obsolete. In San Mateo County, SEIU 521 members demand respect and justice because we do the same jobs and care deeply for those we serve. We deserve permanency, we deserve protection, and we deserve the same benefits of our colleagues throughout the County of San Mateo Government.”

The unions are calling for a fair contract that includes a $2,000 COVID pandemic bonus (equivalent to the bonus received by permanent employees), a path to permanent positions, health insurance, vacation leave and sick leave, and retirement security. The unions are also seeking to align the Extra Help and Permanent Workers’ contracts.

SEIU 521 Representative Lupe Guitierrez, who has worked for the County Health Department for 30 years, said permanent employees rely on the work of the extra help employees. “They should be treated the same,” she said. “The workers are united.” Guitierrez said the extra help employees “kept working through the pandemic” and deserve bonuses and benefits.

“We’ve worked hard to put reasonable common-sense proposals on the table to improve the lives of county employees and the public that our members serve. Unfortunately, we’ve seen our proposals rejected one after the other,” AFSCME Local 829 Representative Gaelan Ash said. “We’re really grateful for the support from the elected board of supervisors, and we’re hopeful that we can reach an agreement soon.”