To the Honorable San Bernardino County Supervisors Josie Gonzales, Curt Hagman, Robert Lovingood, and Janice Rutherford:

Following Supervisor James Ramos’s election to the California State Assembly, the County Charter grants you the power to appoint his replacement. The responsibility is monumental. Before you reach a consensus that will affect all residents of San Bernardino County, our union, Teamsters Local 1932, presents you with three qualities to consider:

The appointed replacement should prioritize

GOOD JOBS NOT JUST ANY JOB

On October 5, 2018, Teamsters Local 1932, and a coalition of Inland Empire unions hosted a job fair that attracted thousands. Most of those in attendance were already employed but were there seeking what was advertised — not just any job, but good jobs with union contracts that allow them to come together with co-workers to bargain fair pay and decent benefits. With working families still struggling to make ends meet, years after the Great Recession ended, and many stuck in a cycle of permanent “temporary” work, San Bernardino County desperately needs leadership on this issue.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Over the past year, Teamsters Local 1932 has hosted roundtable sessions with more than 50 elected officials to discuss the state of our local economy. UC Riverside

Professor Ellen Reese presented a policy brief recommending a regional approach for local economic development policies to “prevent a costly ‘race to the bottom’ competition” as cities rush to offering tax subsidies to warehouse developers and their tenants, without enforceable guarantees that they’ll be providing quality jobs in return. Most of those in attendance agreed; residents of our great region can no longer afford to publicly subsidize this race to the bottom.

A FAIR WAGE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

The County is the region’s largest employer. Could it be the region’s largest employer of people on public assistance, too? It’s a story we often hear from those who are employed by the County of San Bernardino. All of them do the work that keeps public services running, but a significant portion is not paid enough to make ends meet without public assistance. Our research is finding more of them on public assistance every day. While developers have prospered over the last decade, what about every day working people?

Our unions have met with thousands of residents and community leaders this past election season, and we know voters will hold elected politicians accountable on these subjects. Will you four Board members make the right decision and uphold what the residents need?