California State Workers Set One-Day Strike for Wednesday

Overview

• Tens of thousands of SEIU Local 1000 members — about 95,000 eligible workers — plan a one-day statewide strike Wednesday that may delay or close public-facing services such as the DMV, EDD and CalFresh.
• The California Public Employment Relations Board concluded last month that the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) refused to meet and confer in good faith and denied the state’s request for an injunction to block the strike.
• CalHR says departments have contingency plans and argues some workers were not properly identified as essential, while the union says roughly 5,000 employees are legally excluded because their absence would threaten public health or safety.
• The union’s demands include higher pay, cheaper health coverage and stronger telework protections, and leaders say they reserve the right to escalate beyond the single-day walkout if talks do not progress.
• Both sides are set to enter mediation on Oct. 30, and the dispute follows years of tense contract talks and budget fights that state workers say have eroded real wages and workplace flexibility.