County employees and unions press Solano supervisors to bargain in good faith over healthcare changes

Dozens of county employees and union representatives used the public‑comment period at the Feb. 3 Solano County Board of Supervisors meeting to press the board to resume good‑faith bargaining and to stop using proposed health‑care changes as a bargaining tactic.

Linda Cheeseman, an office supervisor and bargaining‑team member, told the board that under the "Myers, Millis, Brown Act" the county has a legal duty to bargain in good faith and criticized blanket rejections of economic proposals. "Rejecting every economic proposal while services erode is not fiscal responsibility. It is negligence," she said.

Librarian Jennifer Lervier (as introduced) said the community and county employees have lost trust in leadership and accused staff reports of emphasizing revenue loss while underspending has occurred; she urged the board to return budgeted family medical funds to employees.

Several speakers representing SEIU locals — Simone Arnett (vice president, SEIU Local 1021), Joe Ortiz (chief shop steward), Michael Kitsis (president, Unit 16) and Moe Kashmiri — described a prolonged bargaining impasse and the emotional and operational toll on staff. Kitsis said employees feel "manipulated" and urged the board to "drop the unethical withholding of our health care benefits." The union speakers requested the board instruct its bargaining team to make movement and to negotiate meaningful terms.

Elizabeth Harrison, a regional SEIU vice president calling in, and other callers reiterated those demands and asked the board to adopt Juneteenth as a county holiday to honor Black employees during Black History Month.

Board members acknowledged the comments and directed staff to continue labor negotiations in closed session; the meeting later adjourned to closed session for conference with labor negotiators. No public action to change benefits or bargaining positions was recorded in open session.