![\"Mech\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/102126_state-workers-strike2.jpg\")
State worker Odin Abbott dressed as Mechagodzilla during SEIU Local 1000\u2019s one-day strike. Oct. 21, 2026.Chris Felts\/CapRadio<\/p>\nDowntown Sacramento was flooded with thousands of SEIU Local 1000 members Wednesday in solidarity with nearly 100,000 state workers across California who walked off the job for a one-day strike.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of the 100,000 workers SEIU Local 1000 represents, about 5,000 are legally excluded from the strike because their absence would threaten the public’s health and safety. These include workers at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Education, and Caltrans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The union stationed several picket lines at various state office buildings. The march began at the Secretary of State office on 11th Street and ended at the Department of Human Resources on 16th Street. Workers walked with picket signs in hand demanding a new and \u201cfair\u201d contract.<\/p>\n
Noisemakers, megaphones, and cars honking in support blared through the streets. March leaders prompted the crowd with chants of \u201cif we don’t get [a new contract]…\u201d and the crowd responded with roars of \u201cshut it down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Odin Abbott, a television specialist with the the Department of Industrial Relations, showed up to the strike wearing a six-and-half-foot Mechagodzilla suit made of EVA foam and vinyl. \u201cJust something fun and an attention getter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Abbot said a wage increase and healthcare costs impact him greatly, but what he really hopes to see is changes to the return-to-office policy.<\/p>\n
\u201c[RTO] hits me directly in the pocketbook,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I were to drive in to work, I’m looking at $400 a month just to come in to work\u2026We proved it could work in the past. Why did it have to go back?\u201d<\/p>\n
State worker Odin Abbott dressed as Mechagodzilla during SEIU Local 1000\u2019s one-day strike. Oct. 21, 2026.Chris Felts\/CapRadio<\/p>\n
The strike is a first for California\u2019s largest public employees union in its 44-year history. The union has accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of negotiating in bad faith by rejecting proposals in bulk and negotiating from a predetermined position, according to SEIU.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have made it clear that we will not accept being pushed aside,\u201d said Anica Walls, President of SEIU Local 1000, in a message to members on Oct 8. \u201cOur members are working hard to hold the current administration accountable and demand fair bargaining.\u201d<\/p>\n
The strike comes amid negotiations for a 20% wage increase over three years, lower costs for healthcare, and more flexibility to Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s return-to-office policy which requires workers to come in four days a week. SEIU Local 1000 has been operating without a contract since June.\u00a0<\/p>\n