By admin 
SEIU Local 1000 members voted to authorize a strike, giving leadership the green light to call one should negotiations remain gridlocked. The union has been without a contract since the end of June, and negotiations have been stalled for more than two months.
Read more 2 firefighters hospitalized after fire spreads across floors in downtown Sacramento
The strike authorization vote started Sept. 9 and ended Wednesday evening. SEIU Local 1000 reports 96.2% of those who voted favored the authorization. That is 4.2 percentage points higher than the union’s last authorization vote in 2016.
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee, union President Anica Walls said a date for a potential strike has not been determined. However, she said “it could be soon.”
“State employees are prepared to hold the line and strike unless this administration negotiates fairly for a new contract,” Walls said.
Conversations between the state and SEIU Local 1000 to identify who is deemed an essential worker — and prohibited from going on strike — are already underway.
About 6,000 people fit that bill amid the union’s 2016 strike threat, according to news organization KPBS. This included nurses, cooks and janitors stationed at state hospitals and prisons. If the union and state can’t come to an agreement about who is classified as essential, then the Public Employment Relations Board would step in.
The “yes” strike authorization vote is the latest in SEIU Local 1000’s pathway to a strike. This includes filing an unfair practice charge in late July and requesting an impasse last week. PERB declared negotiations were at an impasse on Friday. The labor agency also issued a complaint last week in the unfair bargaining practice case, meaning PERB officials believe allegations are significant enough to hear it.
» The State Worker newsletter: The news state workers need to know
The California Department of Human Resources, last week, filed a response to SEIU Local 1000’s impasse request. It accused the union of refusing to return to the bargaining table, mentioning the union’s desire for telework amid Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-day return-to-office mandate.
“SEIU, however, has taken the position that it will not return to the bargaining table unless the state shows movement away from the four-day-per-week in-office mandate,” CalHR wrote in its impasse opposition filing.
Read more 2 firefighters hospitalized after fire spreads across floors in downtown Sacramento
In early September, SEIU Local 1000 Chief Negotiator Bobby Roy said the union is willing to return to the bargaining table if the state had a meaningful proposal, referencing items beyond telework policies, such as compensation.
SEIU Local 1000’s accusation against the state stems, in part, from the last minute rejection of proposals. The state rejected items that could affect the budget, such as the union’s ask for a 20% raise spread across three years and stipends for those required to work in person. Of 16 economic proposals, SEIU Local 1000 reports nine were rejected June 30 — the same day the previous contract expired.
If SEIU Local 1000 would go on strike, it would be the second union to do so in recent history. The state-employed scientist union, CAPS-UAW, went on strike in 2023.
Even if a strike is called, state workers aren’t required to participate, so it’s unlikely that every SEIU Local 1000 member would engage.
The union hasn’t said how long a potential strike would be, which would also equate to the number of days workers would go without pay. SEIU Local 1000 has a strike fund intended to cover costs like legal expenses if an employee faces retaliation for participating, according to the union’s website, but not to replace lost wages.
“On some of our calls, people have been concerned about how long it would be,” Walls said in an interview.
While factors like pay could hinder one’s ability to participate, Walls said many workers are ready to “hold the line” for a fair contract, even if negotiations extend into next year when a new governor is sworn into office.
“(State workers) are everywhere, and so to be in to be in the position that we’re in now is really unfortunate and disappointing,” Walls said.
Read more Two Chico residents killed in Highway 99 crash in Sutter County identified