When CSEA City of Long Beach Unit members were faced with layoffs at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, social media made a major difference in lessening the effect of the layoffs, including several positions being restored.
During a virtual plenary session at the recent 110th Annual Delegates Meeting, City of Long Beach Unit President John Mooney showcased how unit members worked together to oppose the layoffs after city officials had announced layoffs of 22 employees due to budgetary reasons. The affected workers were mostly CSEA members and mostly women and non-Caucasian employees.
The City of Long Beach Unit fought back, largely through the use of social media, emails and letters to elected officials. The union also filed a class-action grievance on behalf of the affected workers and worked with city officials to balance the budget.
Along with these methods, the unit worked toward finding a socially distant way to send the message in person.
“We wanted to keep everyone safe during the pandemic,” Mooney said. “It was a challenge for us because we are a tight-knit group.”
In this screen shot, a drone captures the union’s vehicle rally around the city earlier this year.
Mooney and unit activists found the solution by leading a drive-through rally of about 130 vehicles spanning City Hall and city officials’ homes, using Facebook Live and drones to document the demonstration, as reported in the July-August edition.
Mooney noted that the Facebook Live video got more than 4,000 views and 100 shares during the rally.
“We drove to city council members’ and the city manager’s homes to let them know that we were going to fight through the pandemic and that our voices were going to be heard loud and clear,” Mooney said. “The social media platform was very powerful. It put the city council on notice that we were going to hold them accountable.”
The council eventually restored seven of the positions, with several of the affected workers returning to work. Several city employees also retired.
Mooney said the union will continue to fight to restore the jobs. “We won’t stop fighting until everyone is back,” he said.
Mooney said that many city officials had seen the Facebook Live video and felt the pressure from residents to restore the jobs, largely because CSEA members have been so essential in pulling the city through recent crises, including Hurricane Sandy.
The Nassau County Local lent its support for the City of Long Beach Unit during the vehicle rally around the city earlier this year.
“Had we not done this campaign, we wouldn’t have gotten any of [the jobs]back or any deals,” Mooney said.
Mooney credits training on social media he received through the union for the unit’s ability to use social media to influence city officials, which led to a unit Facebook page and use of Facebook Live. “Everyone should be sharing [through social media], and putting this out there for everyone to see,” he said.
Mooney added that it’s vital when union members fight back as a group.
“It’s more impactful when we all fight back,” he said on a video during which he discussed the unit’s fight. “One voice is a whisper; thousands is a roar. We have to be that roar for CSEA.”
– Janice Gavin and Wendi Bowie
