Union Station Homeless Services workers vote to form a union

Employees of Union Station Homeless Services (USHS) on Thursday, Feb. 12, authorized forming a union with the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721.

USHS, said to be the largest homeless services provider in the San Gabriel Valley, has about 200 employees and provides outreach, care coordination, supportive housing and other resources to the unhoused.

According to SEIU, the authorization was overwhelming among employees.

Frontline workers with Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and the homelessness nonprofit Step Up on Second are also SEIU Local 721 members.

“This is a huge step forward for workers at Union Station Homeless Services,” Danielle Leal, a Care Coordinator at USHS, said in a statement. “We’re glad to now have a strong voice on the job to advocate for the resources we need to serve our clients and to gain the supportive working conditions we deserve. Our union will make our organization stronger and help ensure that we can provide the best services possible to the most vulnerable among us.”

The organization itself acknowledged the workers’ vote, pledging resolved to work a future union.

“We honor our employees’ right to choose this path and are committed to working together in good faith to support our staff and the important work they do,” USHS spokesperson Tian Martinez said. “We look forward to working constructively with SEIU and our employees as we move into the collective bargaining phase.”