Overview
- In-person strike-authorization voting is taking place across San Jose from August 11–14 with bargaining teams planning to count ballots and announce results on Monday, August 17, and unions reported nearly 1,000 early votes.
- The two unions represent roughly 3,500 city workers who have been without a contract since it expired on June 30 and who have been negotiating with city officials for months.
- City public records show the municipality’s last, best and final offer was a 3% annual raise over three years, a position city leaders say reflects current fiscal limits.
- Union negotiators are urging members to vote yes while demanding higher pay to keep pace with local inflation, steps to improve recruitment and retention, and protections against job losses from AI use.
- If authorization passes and leaders call a strike, a short walkout could force library and community program closures, reduce animal care and public works capacity, and put pressure on city services and budgets in the near term; such a strike would be the first by San Jose city workers in nearly 20 years.