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Victor Maccharoli- Walt Hamilton shakes hands with SEIU Local 620 President Daniel Vegezzi during a press conference Tuesday at the court house where Hamilton retired as Local 620's Executive Director and Mark Langdorf, right, was announced as the new one.

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Union leader retires after 25 years

By ERIC LINDBERG — July 1, 2009

After 25 years at the helm of the largest labor union on the Central Coast, Walt Hamilton is retiring from his post as executive director of the Service Employees International Union Local 620.

During a short ceremony at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, he reflected on the past quarter of a century and the changes he has seen in the public employees union.

When he started, the organization had roughly 700 members. It now represents more than 3,800 service workers from public agencies in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

“One thing that has not changed is the pride that the members of SEIU take in providing public services,” Hamilton said, adding, “Our union represents the unsung heroes.”

The Local 620 has members ranging from clerical staff and healthcare professionals to maintenance workers and road crews. It represents large groups of workers employed by the city and county of Santa Barbara.

When asked about his hopes for the future of the union, Hamilton said he would like to see public employees gain more visibility and respect in the community.

“We take so much for granted as citizens,” he said.

Most people don’t think twice about turning on a tap and expecting clean, running water, Hamilton said. When they flush a toilet, they don’t worry that it will end up polluting the ocean.

A good reminder of public service was on display in recent months as hundreds of fire trucks passed along local streets during the Tea and Jesusita fires, he noted.

“But how many of us thought about the people who maintained those fire trucks and kept them safe to operate?” Hamilton said.

He also addressed criticism from some in the community about high salaries for public employees, particularly during the economic downturn. From a list of the 100 top-paid employees in the city of Santa Barbara, only one is represented by the Local 620, Hamilton said, and that employee made the list because of overtime logged with the police department.

“I think the public has a right to be upset, but I think they need to look at the top,” he said.

Replacing Hamilton at the head of the union is Mark Langdorf, who most recently served as a statewide field representative with the Montana Public Employees Association. The 56-year-old has 25 years of experience in labor and public service, and recently moved to the Central Coast from Helena, Mont.

“The weather here is perfect and the parking is the worst I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Despite the transition, Langdorf said he has already witnessed commonalities between the two posts, noting that he saw dozens of budget revisions from the Montana Legislature during its budget cycle.

He acknowledged the difficult economic situation facing all workers, noting that unemployment has spiked and layoffs have reduced the union’s force by 2 percent.

“Public employees are in a struggle that [they] have not seen in 25, 30 years,” Langdorf said.

Nonetheless, he remains optimistic that the economic downturn will attract more people to a union.

“I’m excited to know there are public employees on the Central Coast that we can reach out to,” he said

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