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Our Jobs, Our Community, Our Future: 2026 Kern County Chapter Contract Bargaining Survey

What are you willing to fight for and defend in our 2026 contract?

One year after our historic strike, we are preparing to start bargaining for a new contract with Kern County. Hundreds of Kern County members are coming together across departments to identify and prioritize the changes we need to fight for in our upcoming contract campaign.

This is about making sure we have the wages, benefits, working conditions, and respect that we need in order to support our families and deliver the critical services our community depends on.

Now is the time for every member to participate in the bargaining survey process. Our elected county bargaining committee, made up of co-workers from every bargaining unit, will use your input to set priorities and craft the proposals that we will fight for in our contract campaign.
Simultaneously, we are building a strong, united campaign to defend ourselves against attacks at every level. Our goal is clear: win a fair contract from Kern County, one that protects our rights, improves our working conditions, and secures our future. And we need to be prepared to do whatever it takes, including striking if necessary, to ensure we win the protections and resources our families and the people we serve deserve.

If you have questions, please contact your worksite Contract Action Team (CAT) leader or bargaining team member.

Please note: all bargaining survey submissions are for contract planning purposes only. Submission will never be shared with county officials.
Your Contact Information(Required.)
I want to receive text messages from SEIU Local 521. (Note: By providing my phone number, I understand SEIU Local 521, the Service Employees International Union, its local unions, and affiliates may use automated calling technologies and/or text message me on my cellular phone on a periodic basis. SEIU will never charge for text message. Carrier message and data rates may apply to such messages. Text STOP to 787753 to stop receiving messages.)
Are you an SEIU Local 521 Member? Please note: Our co-worker bargaining committee is only as strong as our membership numbers. Since the start of 2026, our co-workers have continued to build worker power by activating their memberships. If you answer "no" or "I don't know" below, activate your membership today. Click here to get started.(Required.)
TOP PRIORITIES
Address the staffing crisis - countywide, there were over 800 vacancies in SEIU 521 bargaining unit positions as of January 2026. This puts unsustainable stress on workers and lowers the quality of our services to the community. Addressing this crisis will require higher general wage increases, increases in differentials for jobs with high turnover, and serious solutions to address working environments that make our jobs unbearable.

How do you feel about making this a top priority in this round of bargaining?(Required.)
Please share examples of how the staffing crisis has affected workers and/or the people we serve in your department or worksite (for example, new hire retention challenges, inadequate patient/client care, lack of permanent codes to meet growing demand in services)

Indicate how you feel about making each of the following top priorities as part of solving the staffing crisis:
Higher General Wage Increases should be a top priority:(Required.)
Protecting healthcare & retirement benefits should be a top priority:(Required.)
Protections against replacing union jobs with contractors or Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be a top priority:(Required.)
Please share any thoughts you have on steps that need to be taken to address the staffing crisis.
Making transfers and promotions easier, faster, and fair. Many workers expressed that the county’s current transfer and promotion process does not fill vacancies efficiently, decisions are inconsistent and arbitrary, with too much opportunity for favoritism, and seniority is not often considered. Often, workers don’t know when opportunities exist, how decisions are made, and transfers can feel unpredictable and unfair. Addressing this issue will require contract language that creates structural change to how workers are matched to positions, a “bid system” that allows them to express interest in advance, without having to chase job postings, a selection process that’s fair and predictable, in which vacancies are filled quickly and fairly.
How do you feel about making this a top priority in this round of bargaining?(Required.)
Please share any thoughts on steps that would make transfers and promotions easier, faster, and more equitable.
Fair Treatment in scheduling, overtime, transfers, holidays, and vacation bidding. Our union stands for fairness on the job and protection against favoritism and arbitrary treatment by supervisors. In recent years, we’ve seen more and more pressure from management to undermine fairness in the name of “flexibility,” which can sometimes mean playing favorites and leaving long-term employees stuck in an undesirable shift or assignment because that’s the easiest thing for a boss to do.

Workers have raised concerns that contract provisions, including seniority rights, that are meant to protect fairness are being inconsistently applied or ignored altogether.
Please check any departmental decisions that you believe are not consistently fair, and that we should address. (choose as many as apply)(Required.)
How important is it that we address fair treatment when it comes to shift bidding, overtime, holiday work, and vacations in our contract?(Required.)
If we could only win ONE major structural improvement, which would make the biggest difference in your department, and you are personally willing to take action to win?(Required.)
Are there particular issues in your department or at your worksite that need to be addressed, such as hazardous conditions, lack of respect, or unfair treatment?(Required.)
ADDITIONAL ISSUES WE CAN FIGHT FOR
Bilingual pay: your input matters if the bilingual pay structure is fair and meets the needs of our monolingual communities.
Regarding Bilingual Pay, how do you feel about making the differential pay amount a priority this round of bargaining?(Required.)
Do you speak and/or write one or more of the following languages:
If you selected a language on the previous question, have you completed the bilingual certification program?
Have you encountered management introducing new technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), that has negatively affected your work? If so, how?
Are there any other issues not outlined above you'd like to include in your bargaining survey?
If there are other changes that you and your co-workers believe we should fight for in this round of negotiations, please describe them below.
Why do you and your coworkers believe we need to fight for this?
Check all of the following activities that you are willing to do to win the best possible contract for all of us.