SEIU Local 721 begins strike against County of Riverside

Members with the Service Employees International Union Local 721 began a strike against the County of Riverside Wednesday. According to the union’s website, the two-day strike will see actions taking place Wednesday and Thursday.

Union members planned to picket in front of the Riverside University Health System – Medical Center in Moreno Valley at 11 a.m. Wednesday. That is where a number of union members work. SEIU Local 721 represents approximately 7,300 of the county’s 20,000 employees.A bus was sent to Palm Desert to pick up union members and take them to Moreno Valley but remained mostly empty Wednesday morning.

Three leading gubernatorial candidates – John Chiang, Gavin Newsom, and Antonio Villaraigosa were also expected to join striking Riverside County workers, Newsom at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Villaraigosa at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and Chiang at 11 a.m. Thursday.

The union says it planned to strike because it feels the County of Riverside is negotiating in bad faith and has racked up 19 labor law violations including surveillance of union members.

​​​​​​​The county, SEIU, and other labor unions have been in negotiations and collective bargaining talks since last year.

There were plans for vans and buses to pick up union members and drive them to the Riverside strike from Palm Desert, Hemet, and Banning.