San Francisco Superior Court clerks said Monday they’re prepared to strike over alleged unfair labor practices as soon as Thursday, a move that would effectively cripple court operations.
In a notice sent to the court’s CEO, Brandon Riley, clerical workers represented by SEIU Local 1021 said they’re ready to walk out unless management agrees to address what they described as a years-long staffing shortage and training issues that they say have contributed to case backlogs and delays.
The potential strike comes on the heels of broader labor unrest in the city following San Francisco Unified School District teachers’ four-day strike to win a deal that includes fully funded family healthcare, salary increases and improved special education workloads.
The superior court could not immediately be reached for comment.
The superior court has already been dealing with turmoil as court leaders and the public defender’s office quarrel over caseloads. The court said in January it would order the public defender to stop turning down felony cases, which has sometimes forced authorities to release defendants.
The threat of the strike this week is related to the same issues that prompted 200 clerks to walk out for a single day in October 2024, citing high workloads and lack of training. At the time, operations at the superior court ground to a near halt and led to a quick deal with the court’s leadership. The strike put management in a difficult position since the court is mandated to operate and maintain certain deadlines or cases could be dismissed.
The 2024 deal included measures to address understaffing and training, but union representatives said Monday in a statement that the promised reforms have not been adequately implemented.
“The lives of defendants, victims, and even jurors are still being negatively affected,” the union said in a statement.
SEIU Local 1021 filed an unfair labor practice charge with the California Public Employment Relations Board, arguing that management refused to negotiate in good faith. The union said its bargaining team recently gave management what it described as a “commonsense” proposal that would allow employees more flexibility in their jobs and address staffing issues.
Court clerks work at an hourly rate but don’t get overtime, the union said, so often people work through their lunch breaks and stay after work hours without pay just to keep up with caseloads.
“Our current working conditions are unsustainable – and create huge problems for San Francisco residents who have to interact with the court, whether as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors,” Hall of Justice clerk Rob Borders said in a statement from the union. “What it will take to prevent a strike is simply for management to agree to commonsense solutions that will allow us to do our jobs so that the people we serve can actually get justice and have their issues resolved.”
Borders said in the statement that the strike is a last resort measure.
“We are really hoping CEO Brandon Riley and presiding judge Rochelle East will show leadership and do the right thing to get San Francisco’s courts back on track,” Borders said.
This article originally published at San Francisco courts could be crippled this week if clerks strike.