Gullixson: Did Supervisor Gorin lead protesters into State of County breakfast?

Did Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin lead the union protesters into the State of the County breakfast at the DoubleTree Hotel on Wednesday, starting what was a boisterous 15-minute disruption of the county’s own event?

She says no, but it sure appeared that way.

About 200-300 members of Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which represents about half of the county’s workforce and is locked in negotiations over a new contract, were chanting and handing out leaflets to those coming into the Rohnert Park hotel for the breakfast gathering early Wednesday. Shortly after the program began, the union members could be heard chanting as they came inside the building and marched up a side hallway before flooding into the room, disrupting opening remarks by Ben Stone, executive director of the Economic Development Board. Gorin entered the room just as the union protesters came inside.

Press Democrat photographer Kent Porter, who was shooting the demonstration, said he saw Gorin lead them into the lobby and he heard Gorin say “something to the effect of ‘Follow me,’ or, ‘Come with me,’ ” before entering the hall.

Ann Gospe, event planner for the Economic Development Board, said she saw something similar. She was in the hall trying to prevent the protesters from coming inside when she saw Gorin lock arms with the protesters and lead them inside. Gospe said she found it “baffling and extremely disturbing” that a supervisor would do that, particularly given the hours that she and others had put in trying to put the State of the County breakfast together.

But when I talked to Gorin on Thursday, she said that was not the case.

“No, I was not leading them,” she said. “They glommed onto me.”

She said she had arrived late because she had not slept well the night before and was “still fuming” over the supervisors’ vote the previous day not to approve a blanket ban on new vacation rentals in unincorporated residential neighborhoods. Gorin, whose district includes Sonoma Valley, which has seen a surge of Airbnb and VRBO units, was the lone dissenting vote.

The next morning, she said, she was thinking of not attending the breakfast, but finally opted to go.

When she got there, she said SEIU organizers asked her to speak to the crowd, which she did. “I told them, basically, ‘Thanks for providing great services. I hope you will have a contract soon,’ ” she said, “Then I turned to go inside.” That’s when they followed her, she said.

“Eventually, they just burst through all the security,” she said. “They were not with me. They used me as an opportunity to force their way in.”

Either way, the optics of her coming in late and arriving with the protesters were not good.

The 50 or so protesters who came inside the dining hall were holding up signs and chanting, “We do the work” and “No contract, no peace.” Some stood on chairs. One shouted through a bullhorn while parading among the tables.

Fortunately, the interruption lasted only about 15 minutes, and the presentation was allowed to continue.

“In retrospect, I wish I had just stayed away,” Gorin said.

But the union, and the new labor contract, remains the elephant in the room during this election year.

Gorin, who is seeking re-election to the 1st District, has been strongly supported by labor groups in the past as has Supervisor Shirlee Zane of the 3rd District, who also is seeking a new term.

Meanwhile, labor groups are likely to line up once again behind Noreen Evans, the former state senator, who has announced her plans to run for the 5th District seat that Efren Carrillo confirmed at the State of the County breakfast will soon be vacant. If Evans wins, public employee-backed supervisors will constitute the board majority.

What difference will that make? It’s hard to tell at this point. Certainly it could have a significant impact on future contracts as well as issues such as project labor agreements and a stronger living wage ordinance.

But for now, Evans has her work cut out for her. She faces a likely challenge from former 5th District Supervisor Eric Koenigshofer as well as challenges from Lynda Hopkins of Forestville and Jack Piccinini, a Santa Rosa Fire Department battalion chief and veteran of local fire services.

So where do contract talks stand? Even that is somewhat in dispute.

The two sides continue to meet but, at least according to county officials, they are at an impasse and mediation has been requested.

The county is proposing a 32-month contract that includes an overall 9.5 percent increase in total compensation, including a 3 percent cost-of-living bump on March 1 and another on July 1, 2017.

The county also is proposing to pick up more of the employees’ cost for health insurance. Right now, employees receive just $500 per month for health care. The new proposal calls for a lump payment equal to 75 percent of the cost of Kaiser HMO coverage. According to the county, this is equivalent to a 2.5 percent increase in salary.

Meanwhile, the union is asking for an 11 percent increase in total compensation, including pay and benefits, over two years. This would include a 4 percent increase in pay this month and a 3 percent boost in March 2017. The union also is pushing for a lump payment, one equal to 80 percent of the cost of Kaiser insurance, with union members paying the remainder.

Given the unresolved bargaining issues, the upcoming election and the apparent strategy of SEIU Local 1021 to get more boisterous, readers can expect to hear a lot more in the days ahead.

Paul Gullixson is editorial director of The Press Democrat. Email him at paul.gullixson@pressdemocrat.com.