SEIU Local 1000\u2019s first strike in its 44-year history unfolded in several cities including Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco. The union \u2014 which represents about 100,000 workers, nearly half the state workforce \u2014 has been in contentious labor talks<\/a> with the administration since its contract expired in late June. <\/p>\n Its members want a better raise than Newsom has offered, as well as more flexibility to work from home. Newsom a year ago demanded wage reductions from the union to help shore up a budget crisis. State workers have accepted pay cuts in three of the eight years Newsom has led the state. <\/p>\n \u201cThe budget is balanced on state employees\u2019 backs,\u201d Local 1000 President Anica Walls said. \u201cIt\u2019s just showing how frustrated employees are with the lack of prioritizing us as people who really help California remain the fourth-largest economy in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Angela Musallam, a spokesperson for the California Department of Human Resources, which handles labor negotiations on behalf of the administration, said the department \u201cremains focused on achieving a fair and responsible agreement and continues to be available at the bargaining table.\u201d The parties are scheduled to resume mediation talks on Oct. 30<\/p>\n In anticipation of the strike, operations at some state departments have been modified<\/a> or limited, including at DMV offices and parks. Outside the Elihu M. Harris State Office Building in downtown Oakland, workers marched and chanted \u201cNo contract, no peace.\u201d They played drums, snacked on muffins and pizza, and cheered as cars along Clay Street honked in solidarity.<\/p>\n Amy Dickinson, an information technology associate at California Department of Industrial Relations\u2019 Office of Information Systems, said she was striking \u201cbecause the state has decided that we are not worth even bargaining with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey have done nothing but say \u2018no\u2019 all this time. They won\u2019t even give any counteroffers. That\u2019s not bargaining, that\u2019s a maximalist position,\u201d the San Leandro resident said.<\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, an Oakland Democrat who represents the East Bay, spoke to the crowd in Oakland before joining the group briefly in marching.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing happens without the workers,\u201d Simon said. \u201cFor anyone to say that you don\u2019t deserve wage justice, they haven\u2019t looked at the rates of rent \u2026 at grocery prices.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is enough for everything that you\u2019re asking for. But the floor is respect,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Unions, including Local 1000, traditionally have been Newsom\u2019s allies. They contributed to his campaigns and otherwise helped him defeat his Republican opponents. But the Local 1000 strike is the second state worker walkout to occur on his watch. The California Assn. of Professional Scientists held a three-day strike in 2023<\/a>. <\/p>\n
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