By admin 
Thousands of California state workers on Wednesday flooded the streets of downtown Sacramento and communities across the Golden State as the largest state worker union — with about 100,000 members — went on strike. SEIU Local 1000 President Anica Walls gave a clear message: State workers should be united.
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“Don’t let the state divide us — not by classification, not by department, not by union,” Walls said. “When we stand together, we are stronger.”
Her call of unity comes after California state workers raised various concerns this year. SEIU Local 1000’s contract expired at the end of June and negotiations stalled. An impasse was eventually called in early October and mediations began six days before the one-day strike. A deal wasn’t made, and the one-day strike ensued.
But that’s not all.
Many state workers are adjusting to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-day return-to-office mandate and state-employed scientist raises slated to start in July initially went unfunded. Those raises were eventually funded in August with last-minute legislation.
These instances were top of mind Wednesday when leaders from fellow unions — California Professional Scientists, UAW Local 1115 and California Attorneys Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment — joined SEIU Local 1000.
“California runs because state workers run it and SEIU deserves a contract that reflects that,” CASE President Talene Ghazarian said.
The state-employed scientist union fought for four years to reach a deal with the state, according to Vice President Justin Garcia. CAPS-UAW Local 1115 was California’s first state worker strike in 2023.
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This summer, it had to fight for raises agreed to in that contract after the Department of Finance didn’t include raises in this year’s budget. The Legislature didn’t fund the raises before the July 1 start date but, after the union held rallies and voiced concerns, legislation to fund the wage increases were approved in late August.
“We still had to fight back this year to make sure the state honored that contract,” he said.
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State workers are watching SEIU Local 1000’s negotiations to see if the union gets a deal allowing more flexible telework options — a topic other unions have expressed concerns about. The union representing state-employed lawyers has filed more than a dozen charges with the Public Employment Relations Board accusing the state of bargaining in bad faith over the return-to-office mandate.
Husband and wife duo Chris and Lydia Workman participated in Wednesday’s strike. Lydia Workman, represented by SEIU Local 1000, is a loan officer with the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank while Chris Workman, represented by CASE, is an attorney with the State Lands Commission.
Lydia Workman said the return-to-office mandate burdens state workers with added expenses, such as parking. The couple say they’re not alone in their concerns.
“There are so many other households that are in a similar position,” Chris Workman said.
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