Board approves tentative SEIU Local 721 agreement after debate over long-term cost pressures

Riverside County supervisors voted 4-1 on April 2 to approve a tentative agreement with SEIU Local 721 that negotiators said improves pay, benefits and caseload protections for social-service practitioners and other county employees.

Eloy (Eloy) Alvarez, SEIU’s regional director for the bargaining unit, described months of negotiations and urged the board to approve a tentative agreement that he said was the product of compromise and will help retain staff and reduce reliance on contractors in county medical centers.

David Green, SEIU Local 721 president, told supervisors the union membership overwhelmingly approved the agreement and urged a yes vote to support working people and county services.

Supervisor Jeffreys voiced strong fiscal concerns, arguing the combined fiscal effects of this agreement and other compensation increases could approach $600 million over time when layered together with management raises, CalPERS increases and projected insurance costs. He said the county’s reserve fund could be at risk and suggested a narrower approach to raises. Supervisor Spiegel, while reluctant, said she supported the agreement but warned the board might need to tighten hiring or operations if revenues tighten in the future. Other supervisors emphasized recruitment and retention pressures and supported the agreement as fiscally manageable now.

The motion to approve the tentative agreement passed on a recorded vote of 4 in favor, 1 opposed. The board’s action implements a negotiated labor agreement subject to the usual administrative steps for final contract execution and fiscal accounting.

What happens next: county staff will finalize implementation steps, update budget projections to reflect the agreement, and monitor hiring and service levels as adjustments take effect.