With or without United Way, we will move forward

By Fabrizio Sasso
Executive Director, Sacramento CLC

For nearly 80 years, the Sacramento Central Labor Council (CLC) and the United Way California Capitol Region (UW) have partnered together to work collaboratively in assisting Union members and their families through the Community Services Labor Liaison position. I am sad to say, today that relationship is in jeopardy—largely due to the United Way’s leadership.

For decades, the Community Liaison position had been fully funded by UW and served at the direction of the CLC, offering direct support services to Union members in need, coordinating public-facing community services events with Union volunteers, and fundraising for these programs. These programs are viewed by the CLC affiliates as amongst the most popular and valued work that we do.

But they don’t only benefit union members and their families. They help our communities and play a crucial role in helping our communities to see the value of unions.

These are programs that many of you have contributed to over the years, and that are both beloved and crucial to Sacramento. They include:

Operation Christmas Basket: Each year, we provide more than 300 Union families in need with groceries for a full holiday meal and toys for each child under the age of 18 in that family. Our affiliates supply us with a list of members and number of children (with ages). The Community Services Director then coordinates fundraising, solicits sponsored food items, purchases toys and other food items as well.

Tom’s Closet: Tom’s Closet is named after longtime Community Services Liaison Tom Lawson who started the food pantry in the late 1990’s. When a union member is in need, a CLC affiliate will request that we provide their member(s) with food items for 1-2 weeks.

Feeding the Homeless: Each Labor Day, the Community Services department organizes volunteers to prepare and serve more than 600 meals to the homeless in partnership with Loaves & Fishes, a local non-profit organization that serves this population by providing warm meals, essential survival supplies and services for nearly 1,000 adults and children daily.

Toilet Paper Drive: The Community Services Director requests affiliates to donate cases of toilet paper that is then distributed to non-profit organizations that provide direct services to large groups of people.

State Fair Booth: Each summer, the Community Services department manages the CLC booth at the California State Fair. This includes organizing affiliates to operate the booth on assigned dates to showcase their Union and the overall Labor Movement to more than 600,000 attendees of the State Fair.

All of these programs are now in danger of being lost. Since November 2022, the Labor Liaison position has been vacant, and we have been unable to get the UW to commit to continuing this vital relationship.

After months of inactivity by UW to advertise the position, UW reached out to the CLC for a meeting on June 14, 2023, to discuss the position. That meeting was between UW leadership including CEO, Dr. Dawnté Early, (who is also a member of the West Sacramento City Council), and myself and CLC President Dr. William Reed.

At this meeting, UW informed the CLC of UW’s financial problems and that they will be cutting the position indefinitely offering the CLC a one-time unrestricted grant of $25,000 for the position for last year. The CLC Executive Board then requested that both organizations participate in the “conflict resolution” process as outlined in our memorandum of understanding that governed this relationship. Three board members from each organization met on November 6, 2023 in which UW reiterated their poor financial position and inability to do anything more than the $25,000.

The CLC later learned from one of our Executive Board members who also sits on the UW board, that UW had rescinded the $25,000 offer.

The CLC has been working with AFL-CIO United Way Worldwide Partnership Director Kristie Small throughout the entirety of this situation. However, it is apparent to the CLC that UW does not intend to continue the partnership and all communication between the two organizations has ceased.

Meanwhile, CLC staff has been overstretched in continuing with some of the more affiliated lauded Community Services programs, with other programs being cut due to the CLC’s limited capacity.

It is my great hope that the United Way will come back to the table to save this vital role, and the programs that it supports. But we can’t count on that.

I want you all to know that I am fighting to save these programs. The CLC is currently applying for grants to cover the cost of this position, and is working hard to find ways to protect our community efforts.

We intend not just to fight to save these programs, but to innovate new programs around workforce development and training programs, particularly in economically disadvantaged and “hard-to-reach” communities and young workers, promoting the value of good union jobs.

Whether we do it with United Way or go it alone, we are committed to serving our communities and our union families.