San Francisco City Workers March Down Market Street, Seek Help To Fill Major Staffing Gaps
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – Union leaders and members joined hundreds of San Francisco city workers in a march down Market Street on Wednesday, saying more needs to be done to fill the city's staffing gaps.
Participants in the event called "Staff Up SF" insisted that the city is critically understaffed in so many areas. They pointed to more than 3,800 openings in positions across the city.
Workers said the vacancies in areas like the Department of Public Works and the San Francisco International Airport are making it harder to do their jobs safely.
Mike Casey, the president of the San Francisco Labor Council spoke at a rally outside City Hall.
"This is not our building. This is the public's building. And when they don't staff up and when the staffing doesn't happen, the services affect citizens across the city," Casey said.
Heather Bollinger is a Registered Nurse and called on increased staffing at her hospital, saying the matter had reached critical levels.
"We can't provide patient care without the resources to do it. It's a really simple equation, when you come to the hospital, you need a nurse," Bollinger said. "And they're dropping like flies. It's getting worse by the day in our departments."
KPIX 5 reached out to Mayor London Breed's office for comment, but she is currently traveling in Europe to promote the city of San Francisco as a place for tourism and commerce.
