California\u2019s largest state worker union says it\u2019s ready to strike in the final months of Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n
SEIU Local 1000, which represents about 100,000 public employees, announced Thursday morning that its members overwhelmingly authorized a strike with 96% of people who voted in favor of walking out. The union set a date for one-day walkout on Oct. 21. It wants better pay, more affordable healthcare coverage and more flexibility to work from home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an important step that state employees are taking,\u201d said Anica Walls, the union\u2019s president.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re exercising their right to hold the line and say, we deserve to be respected, paid and protected for the work that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The union\u2019s contract expired June 30. It\u2019s pushing Newsom to provide a larger raise and boost to benefits than the administration offered. The union says the state has room to offer more, pointing to a $20 billion increase in general fund spending over the past two years.<\/p>\n
The union also filed a complaint with the state\u2019s Public Employment Relations Board, accusing CalHR, the state agency that handles labor negotiations on behalf of the administration, of bad faith bargaining, delaying negotiations and rejecting proposals outright. In late September the board sided with the union, and concluded that CalHR \u201crefused to meet and confer in good faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to the board\u2019s findings, Angela Musallam, CalHR\u2019s deputy director of communications, said in an email to CalMatters that \u201cthe state has been, and remains open to negotiation, and is prepared to move into mediation to assist the parties in reaching an agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musallam added that its focus \u201ccontinues to be on achieving a fair and responsible agreement, and we remain available at the bargaining table.\u201d<\/p>\n
A strike would be unprecedented for the union. It has never held a statewide walkout in the 44-year history of the labor groups that over time coalesced to become Local 1000. It came close to striking in 2016, but an eleventh-hour deal with then-Gov. Jerry Brown averted it.<\/p>\n
The union represents almost half of the state government workforce, and includes a wide range of professionals including nurses, clerks, program analysts, information technology staff and custodians.<\/p>\n