FMEF members — Keep up the momentum

Dear FMEF member,

Last week, FMEF members, community members, and elected officials mobilized at the City Council meeting to make our voices heard. FMEF members turned out to show our displeasure with the City’s inability to hire, train, and retain workers dedicated to maintaining the quality of life in Fullerton. As a result of our action, we were able to stop the council from approving devastating cuts to City services.

The Fullerton Observer published an article on the topic. The article prominently features the voices of FMEF members and shows the impact we have when we stand up:

• President of the Fullerton Municipal Employees Federation (FMEF) Ed Bargas said, “Fullerton residents and businesses rely on City services to enhance the quality of life here in Fullerton. Unfortunately, our workforce has been cut down to the bone.”
• Joshua Gonzelez, who works in the City's equipment division said, “I don’t believe the budget cuts should happen. We should invest in City services. We all take great pride in our work. We’re here to keep the City safe and clean.”
• David Jones, who has worked for Fullerton for five years in the sewer division, said that when he first got hired, his department had 16 employees. “We’re operating with seven now, and expected to do the same work. This is across the board with all departments. When COVID hit everything was affected. People were losing jobs, people were going home. We still had to go out and perform these duties. That was our job. We look at this as an investment. We’ve invested our lives and our efforts in this great City and we just would like the same in return,” Jones said.
• Luis Carillo, who works in the water department, said that the City has more than 110 water main breaks per year. “A lot of those main breaks come in the middle of the night, so there are times we are out there working over 24 hours in a row, no sleep, operating machinery. We’re tired, we’re jack-hammering. We do it because it’s our responsibility to the community to make sure they have safe potable water – kids to shower in the morning, to drink. We don’t want to keep them out of water,” he said.

You can read the article here!

Our voices are being heard, but the fight is not over.

On Tuesday, October 19th, the City Council will meet again to discuss the budget and how to use federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. FMEF is mobilizing again to make our voices heard!

Join your fellow FMEF members and residents so we can tell the City that they need to do more to keep dedicated workers in Fullerton. The quality of life in Fullerton depends on it!

In Solidarity,

Veronica Rodarte
Sr. Labor Relations Representative

Publication Date: October 15, 2021