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California’s largest state workers’ union is following through on a threat to strike in a major escalation of an ongoing feud over wages, benefits and remote work with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration that could affect some government services.
SEIU Local 1000, which represents 100,000 government employees, said Thursday that 96.2% of its voting members are preparing for a one-day strike on October 21 before Newsom terms out of the governorship in January — potentially delaying basic services Californians rely on.
“State workers have spoken loud and clear,” said union president Anica Walls in a video message, with the union adding that it’s “in response to the State’s alleged bad-faith bargaining.”
Striking workers in the state’s capitol will stage demonstrations in front of the California Department of Human Resources, the Secretary of State building, the Department of Education May Lee Complex, the Department of Motor Vehicles headquarters and the Resources Building, Walls said in the video.
According to the union’s website, there will also be strike lines in front of government buildings in Oakland, Fresno, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Norwalk and San Bernardino.
Residents should expect potential service delays at the DMV and the state’s unemployment and disability insurance offices, Walls said.
Any service provided by state workers could be impacted by the contract dispute, such as CalTrans and the State Department of Food And Agriculture, the Porterville Recorder reported.
The Oct. 21 walkout would mark the first time the massive union has gone on strike.
The last time it initiated a strike vote was in 2016, but a labor agreement was reached days before the walkout was scheduled to begin.
“It is an important step that state employees are taking,” Walls told CalMatters. “They’re exercising their right to hold the line and say, we deserve to be respected, paid and protected for the work that we do.”
The dispute stems from allegations of the Newsom administration’s bad-faith bargaining. The two sides have tussled over higher pay and job conditions — as Newsom refused to budge on a return-to-office order that sparked a furious backlash from state unions.
The union’s prior contract, which expired June 30, has yet to be replaced.
A spokesperson for the the California Department of Human Resources said to The Post that “CalHR remains ready to sit down anytime with the union to negotiate a fair and responsible agreement.
“The state remains focused on protecting the critical and essential services that Californians rely on,” the department added.
The Post left a voicemail with the union, inquiring about the strike’s impacts.
