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Members of SEIU Local 1000 march to the Capitol Swing Space building, the location of the Governor\u2019s Office, during a one-day strike in Sacramento on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026.<\/p>\n
HECTOR AMEZCUA<\/p>\n
hamezcua@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
Thousands of California state workers on Wednesday flooded the streets of downtown Sacramento and communities across the Golden State as the largest state worker union \u2014 with about 100,000 members \u2014 went on strike<\/a>. SEIU Local 1000 President Anica Walls gave a clear message: State workers should be united.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let the state divide us \u2014 not by classification, not by department, not by union,\u201d Walls said. \u201cWhen we stand together, we are stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n Her call of unity comes after California state workers raised various concerns this year. SEIU Local 1000\u2019s contract expired at the end of June and negotiations stalled. An impasse was eventually called in early October and mediations began six days<\/a> before the one-day strike. A deal wasn\u2019t made<\/a>, and the one-day strike ensued.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n Many state workers are adjusting to Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s four-day return-to-office mandate and state-employed scientist raises slated to start in July initially went unfunded. Those raises were eventually funded in August with last-minute legislation.<\/p>\n These instances were top of mind Wednesday when leaders from fellow unions \u2014 California Professional Scientists, UAW Local 1115 and California Attorneys Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment \u2014 joined SEIU Local 1000.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia runs because state workers run it and SEIU deserves a contract that reflects that,\u201d CASE President Talene Ghazarian said.<\/p>\n The state-employed scientist union fought for four years to reach a deal with the state, according to Vice President Justin Garcia. CAPS-UAW Local 1115 was California\u2019s first state worker strike in 2023.<\/p>\n This summer, it had to fight for raises agreed to in that contract after the Department of Finance didn\u2019t include raises in this year\u2019s budget. The Legislature didn\u2019t fund the raises before the July 1 start date but, after the union held rallies and voiced concerns, legislation to fund the wage increases were approved in late August.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still had to fight back this year to make sure the state honored that contract,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n State workers are watching SEIU Local 1000\u2019s negotiations to see if the union gets a deal allowing more flexible telework options \u2014 a topic other unions have expressed concerns about. The union representing state-employed lawyers has filed more than a dozen charges with the Public Employment Relations Board accusing the state of bargaining in bad faith over the return-to-office mandate.<\/p>\n Husband and wife duo Chris and Lydia Workman participated in Wednesday\u2019s strike. Lydia Workman, represented by SEIU Local 1000, is a loan officer with the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank while Chris Workman, represented by CASE, is an attorney with the State Lands Commission.<\/p>\n Lydia Workman said the return-to-office mandate burdens state workers with added expenses, such as parking. The couple say they’re not alone in their concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many other households that are in a similar position,\u201d Chris Workman said.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n![\"Members](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4864_HA_261021_SEIUstrike.jpg\" "\\"4864_HA_261021_SEIUstrike.jpg\\"")
Members of SEIU Local 1000 march to the Capitol Swing Space building, the location of the Governor\u2019s Office, during a one-day strike in Sacramento on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
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