Assembly Votes to Give Temporary Workers Respect, Rights 

Press Contact:
Contact: Mike Roth, 916.813.1554
Maria Elena Jauregui, Spanish-language, 818.355.5291
May 31, 2023

Sacramento, CA – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California praised the State Assembly for passing AB 1484 (Zbur), a bill that allows temporary workers who perform the same jobs as permanent employees for local governments to be included in the same bargaining unit as those who do equivalent work. 

“Whether we are working to get people housed and supported, or fighting child poverty, abuse, and neglect, California needs a vital public sector workforce to tackle our biggest problems. But our public sector workforce is being undermined and weakened by exploitative practices such as keeping workers in ‘temporary’ work status for years and even decades to avoid paying living wages and providing family-supporting benefits. 

“Dividing workers based on status, like permanent and temporary, is just another way to rob workers of their power; SEIU members are proud that Assemblymembers saw through the false arguments raised by bill opponents and took a stand for basic fairness and respect today,” said Riko Mendez, Chief Elected Officer of SEIU Local 521 and Executive Board Member of SEIU California. “Asm. Zbur’s bill simply says workers who do the same job should be able to bargain together. Now, it deserves the Senate’s support and Governor Newsom’s signature.“ 

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