Tens of Thousands of California State Workers Walk Out in One-Day Strike Over Pay and Remote Work
SEIU Local 1000, which represents about 100,000 California state employees, staged its first-ever walkout Wednesday over wages, benefits and Gov. Gavin Newsom's return-to-office order, disrupting DMV and other state services. The union said 96.2% of voting members backed the strike, with mediation scheduled Oct. 30.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tens of thousands of California state workers walked off the job Wednesday in a one-day strike over pay, benefits and remote work, the first walkout in the history of SEIU Local 1000, the union that represents about 100,000 government employees across the state.
The union said 96.2% of voting members voted to strike in response to what it called the state’s bad-faith bargaining with the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose term ends in January. The two sides have been unable to agree on a contract since the union’s previous deal expired June 30. The state tried to block the walkout through its labor referee but failed, and the two sides are scheduled to meet for mediation Oct. 30.
The dispute centers on wages, benefits and remote work, including Newsom’s return-to-office order, which drew criticism from state workers. The union’s top demands include a 20% raise over three years and telework protections, including a $25 commuting stipend, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Union president Anica Walls said “state workers have spoken loud and clear” and urged Californians whose DMV or other services were limited to make an appointment for another day. About 5,000 workers were legally excluded from the strike because their absence would pose an imminent and substantial threat to public health or safety, including some medical staff at state prisons.
Strike lines in 15 communities, march to the Capitol
The Bee described the walkout as the largest state worker strike in California history, with nearly half a dozen strike lines in Sacramento — including the DMV, the Secretary of State and the Department of Education buildings — and lines in 15 communities statewide, from Los Angeles and the Bay Area to Fresno, San Diego and Redding. Several thousand workers marched to the Department of Human Resources and then toward the Capitol.
The strike disrupted services including the Department of Motor Vehicles and unemployment and disability insurance offices. On picket lines, workers said telework was their top priority, and union members carried signs with the rally message that “California runs because state workers run it,” the Bee reported.
A spokesperson for the California Department of Human Resources said the state “remains ready to sit down anytime with the union to negotiate a fair and responsible agreement” and that it is focused on protecting essential services.
Reporting based on coverage by the New York Post and the Sacramento Bee.
