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SEIU Local 1000 members voted to authorize a strike, giving leadership the green light to call a one-day strike for Oct. 21. The union has been without a contract since the end of June, and negotiations have been stalled for more than two months.
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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 state workers are prepared to “hold the line.”
“State employees are prepared to hold the line and strike unless this administration negotiates fairly for a new contract,” Walls said.
Leading up to the strike announcement, SEIU Local 1000 filed an unfair practice charge in late July and requested 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.
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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.
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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.
SEIU Local 1000’s one-day strike would be the second union to walkout in recent history. The state-employed scientist union, CAPS-UAW, went on strike in 2023.
State workers aren’t required to participate, so it’s unlikely that every SEIU Local 1000 member would engage.
Members who go on strike will not be paid during that time. 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.
“(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.
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This story was originally published October 8, 2026 at 7:58 AM.