Blog Post
My name is Alexis Esparza, and one of the wins I’m most proud of as a steward came in 2023 when I fought for a longtime coworker in Comprehensive Planning who was wrongfully denied a promotion.
Under Article 17 of our contract—the posting of vacancies—positions must be offered to the most qualified candidate. In this case, my coworker applied for a planning tech position. She scored 100% on her application, she placed in the top two during interviews, and she had decades of experience and schooling that made her the most qualified candidate.
Despite all of this, management gave the job to others whose scores weren’t even close.
We filed a grievance. Management tried to argue that “fit” and interviews justified their decision, but our contract was clear: the job should go to the most qualified. We pushed forward, demanding both the position and back pay for what she lost when management broke the rules. At Step 2 of the grievance, we won. The county created a new position just for her and paid her all the back pay she was owed.
Anyone who knows Article 17 cases knows how tough they are to win. Hiring decisions often get buried in red tape, with limited access to records and scoring. Most of these grievances are denied and dragged into arbitration. But in this case, the facts were undeniable. She was the most qualified. She deserved the position. And because of SEIU, she got it. After more than 25 years of service to the county, my coworker worked in that position for a year before retiring.
She left knowing that she had been recognized for her value, her experience, and her dedication.
For me, this win represents the heart of union power: making sure workers are treated fairly, upholding our contract, and fighting back when management ignores the rules.