Union members love their new regional organization, according to Local 521’s Web site, which quotes smiling workers from Monterey, Santa Clara, San Benito, San Mateo and several Central Valley counties.

Officials of the Service Employees International Union say the new regional entity, which was formed on March 1, makes its members “stronger together.” Indeed, the workers quoted on the union’s Web site seem to agree that the new, larger union means a more powerful bargaining force.

But the consolidation has caused some unrest. One longtime union organizer lost her job in the reshuffle. And several members of the former local say they feel abandoned.

On March 1, more than 45,600 workers from five locals—including two in Monterey County—were consolidated into Local 521. The move followed a statewide election last September, in which SEIU members voted to merge local branches into four regional units.

Under the new arrangement, two locals representing Monterey County employees were dissolved: Local 535, which represented about 450 social workers and mental-health workers, and Local 817, which represented about 3,500 other County employees.