Thousands of workers from two of San Jose’s largest unions are voting this week on whether to authorize a strike.
The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21 and the Municipal Employees Federation, which together represent 4,500 city employees, have been in negotiations with the city for the past six months. Employees say the city’s latest offer of a 3% annual raise over three years doesn’t even keep up with inflation.
“My rent is going up 8% next month, my daughter’s daycare just went up 6%,” Dylan Kuhlmann-Haley said. “The city’s last best final offer doesn’t meet that point. I’m going to be poorer tomorrow than I am today.”
If the employees do strike, it could have major impacts on city services. Without enough staff, libraries may be forced to close and community centers may have to cancel after-school and senior programs. Striking workers would also include veterinarians and other staff at the city’s Animal Care Center and some employees at San Jose Mineta International Airport.
Employees have until late Friday to vote on the strike authorization. The results will be announced Monday morning.
In a statement, Mayor Matt Mahan said, “San Jose can’t spend money we don’t have…We found a way to offer modest raises because we believe we can support our workforce without compromising the most important services our residents depend on.”
Employees say money isn’t the only sticking point. The unions are also asking the city to implement AI guardrails.
“We just want to make sure that when it comes to contracting, when it comes to employees and what is expected of them, that there aren’t going to be layoffs and there aren’t going to be future reductions in staffing because of AI usage,” Michael Jun said.