From Firefighters to Librarians: A United Front of San Jose City Workers Rally to Defend Public Services

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, March 13, city workers and the union members of IFPTE Local 21, MEF-AFSCME Local 101, and San Jose Firefighters IAFF Local 230 will rally to defend San Jose's public services, in response to the City Manager's hiring freeze, proposed budget cuts, and the needless threat of layoffs coming from City Hall.

Who: City of San Jose employees represented by IFPTE Local 21, MEF-AFSCME Local 101, and San Jose Firefighters IAFF Local 230, including library staff who run programs that support children, seniors, university students, and the diverse communities of San Jose. Spokespeople will be available for interviews after the program.

Program Speakers include:

• Maria Noel (Executive Director, Working Partnerships & Silicon Valley Rising)
• Jean Cohen (Executive Officer, South Bay Labor Council)
• City workers and union members of IFPTE Local 21, MEF-AFSCME Local 101, and San Jose Firefighters IAFF Local 230

What: "San Jose For Us" Rally to Defend Public Services

When/Where: Thursday, March 13, 2025 outside of City of San Jose's King Library (150 E San Fernando St, San Jose, CA 95112) at 12:00 PM

BACKGROUND:
Over the past decade, every year that the City of San Jose projected a budget deficit, the City ended the fiscal year with surplus money in the General Fund, averaging $32.2 million annually. According to data obtained from the City, there may also be up to $80.6 million in vacancy savings in the City's General Fund.

City workers are rallying to defend the critical services that San Jose residents rely on. The City currently employs only 7.3 people per 1,000 residents, fewer than any other large California city that was surveyed for the twelfth year in a row. Cuts to staffing would imperil services at libraries, the airport, fire stations, and will affect affordable housing plans, emergency response times, and more. Workers are calling on the City Administration to employ responsible solutions to balance a budget that invests in city workers and the vital services they provide, not jeopardize our residents and the city's future with short-sighted cuts to services or jobs.

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SOURCE IFPTE Local 21