Hayward City Workers Marching to Rally Against Pay Cuts

By Bay City News—

City of Hayward workers will march on City Hall this evening to protest the City Council's vote last month to impose pay cuts for employees.
 
Leaders of Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which represents city workers, said employees have had their pay cut by a total of up to 27 percent over the last four years.
 
Union leaders said today is the first day that Hayward workers are seeing smaller paychecks as a result of the most recent cut, which the City Council imposed in a 7-0 vote on Feb. 18.

Workers are receiving paychecks today that are 5 to 10 percent smaller than before, according to the union. City Council members said they were forced to impose the cuts in order to improve the city's financial situation because it has $392 million in unfunded pension and benefit costs plus $500 million in capital needs over the next decade.
 
Workers plan to gather at the Hayward BART station at 699 B St. at 5 p.m. today. At 5:30 p.m. they're slated to begin marching to City Hall at 777 B St. and speeches at City Hall are expected to begin at 6 p.m. Organizers say that among those expected to speak are former Hayward Mayor Doris Rodriquez and representatives from the offices of Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle, state Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, and other elected officials.
 
SEIU Local 1021 said the Alameda County Democratic Party and the Alameda Central Labor Council have both called on Hayward officials to negotiate to reach a fair contract for city workers. Union leaders said workers will conduct another protest at the City Council's meeting Tuesday night.