San Francisco’s Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1021 — that city’s largest union with some 11,000 members — have rejected a deal between union negotiators and the city that included concessions to alleviate the city’s budget crisis. Though the SEIU bargaining team recommended members vote yes, the contract changes were narrowly rejected by a 56 percent majority.

“These unusual times with record unemployment, foreclosures and budget deficits in California and San Francisco provide the urgency for everyone to come together to protect jobs and essential services,” stated an SEIU summary of the agreement.

The new contract would have put off layoffs scheduled for May until August as well as put off new layoffs until November, kept a recent 3.75 percent pay increase and eliminated holiday pay for 11 days this year and next.

The city was hoping the contract would save about $90 million to help fill a budget gap of half a billion dollars.

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