Union representatives are making the case that stagnant wages have led workers to leave multiple departments<\/a> at high rates, contributing to staffing shortages and degraded city services.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a retention issue, and it\u2019s something that\u2019s not affecting any single department \u2014 it\u2019s various departments throughout the city,\u201d Carlos Murillo, an engineer at San Jose Mineta International Airport who serves on the bargaining team, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThese are services that people need and rely on, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re fighting for.\u201d<\/p>\n Such a strike would represent the largest labor action to take place in San Jose since 1981, according to union officials.<\/p>\n The city narrowly avoided a worker strike<\/a> in 2023 after months of impasse.\u00a0Mayor Matt Mahan was the lone holdout when the City Council approved a deal<\/a> that scraped together enough funding to meet workers\u2019 wage demands.<\/p>\n Officials said the city is preparing for possible service disruptions<\/a>, including to libraries and community centers. However, essential public health and safety services would continue to operate regardless of the strike, they said.<\/p>\n Negotiations have been taking place since February to replace three-year contracts that expired Jun. 30. But unions rejected what the city called its last best and final offer<\/a> in June, and since then negotiations have continued under mediation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city remains committed to reaching agreements that recognize the contributions of its workforce while ensuring the city can continue delivering essential programs and services to our community now and into the future,\u201d Demetria Machado, spokesperson for the City Manager\u2019s Office, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThe city has communicated to (the unions) that it is ready to return to the bargaining table or mediation at any time, including evenings and weekends.\u201d<\/p>\n The city\u2019s offer included wage increases that amount to 9% over the next three years.<\/p>\n But workers said such an increase, which falls short of the 15% increase provided by the just-expired three-year contract, would not even keep pace with inflation in the South Bay.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is already ridiculously expensive to live in this area,\u201d Riley Knight, who works for the city\u2019s residential garbage and recycling program and also serves on the bargaining team, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cMost people honestly cannot live in this area because they can\u2019t afford to live in this area, despite loving San Jose so much that they\u2019ve come to work at that sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n Workers have asked for a 14% salary increase for the coming three years, according to negotiation documents filed in June.<\/p>\n Workers have also asked for the city to commit to a prohibition against using AI tools to replace workers. The city\u2019s counter-offer included only a pledge to \u201cconsider training, upskilling, reskilling and reassignment options\u201d rather than laying off workers due to AI efficiencies.<\/p>\n San Jose is facing tight budget constraints. The $5.5 billion budget<\/a> passed in June balanced a $50 million deficit by tapping into reserve funds and making wide ranging service cuts. The city is forecasting deficits of $27 million and $12 million in the next two fiscal years<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n As the city navigates this labor impasse, Mahan said city leaders must balance demands for wage increases with the need to preserve funding for essential city services.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot allow public services to become unaffordable or unavailable because labor demands go beyond our annual tax revenue,\u201d Mahan told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThere is still hope for a solution that is fair to everyone \u2014 and I very much hope the unions that have not settled will agree to return to mediation so we can give people the raise that they deserve and we can afford.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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