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Members of SEIU Local 1000 — California’s largest state worker union — interrupted an annual conference Tuesday held by the California Department of Human Resources at a hotel in Sacramento. It’s the latest move as tensions surrounding contract negotiations escalate.
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SEIU Local 1000 District Labor Council President Jonah Paul said 20 to 30 members burst into the conference during keynote speech to share concerns about negotiations. The members also accused the state of trying to intimidate workers over their participation in last week’s one-day strike. In an interview with The Sacramento Bee, Paul said he believes the state is failing to engage in productive negotiation conversations.
“We just wanted to let them know that it’s unacceptable to try and intimidate people,” Paul said.
Union members reportedly entered the building through the side door at about 9:15 a.m. and made their way to the ballroom where the keynote speech was taking place.
When asked about the interruption, CalHR spokesperson Angela Musallam said the agency “remains committed to meeting with SEIU Local 1000 at the bargaining table.”
The union has been without a contract since the end of June. It accuses the state of bargaining in bad faith because it denied every proposal affecting the budget. That includes SEIU Local 1000’s request for 20% raises across three years and increased employer contributions for healthcare benefits. Many of these proposals, the union reports, were denied on the last day.
Negotiations were stalled from late July to October when an impasse was called. CalHR accuses SEIU Local 1000 of refusing to meet if there weren’t concessions addressing the return to office mandate. Meanwhile, the union said it wouldn’t officially meet with the state unless there was a good deal, including items like raises. Sidebar conversations occurred during that lull. The next medication session is slated for Oct. 30.
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Tuesday’s interruption was a “hush, hush” invite-only operation, according to Paul, who works for the Employment Development Department. Organizers wanted to maintain the element of surprise.
“I was just surprised how ill-prepared they were for a visit from their colleagues at the state,” Paul said. “I was nervous walking in.”
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As union members filled the room, Paul spoke in front of conference attendees. He specifically called out CalHR and Director Monica Erickson for what he believes to be tactics to dissuade employees from participating in the strike.
“Our workers were receiving messages from their manager saying, ‘Oh, you are not able to strike. It’s illegal if you do. It’s actually in your contracts,’ and they cite the section, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, that section says there’s a no strike clause,’” Paul said.
In the week leading up to the Oct. 21 walkout, CalHR asked the PERB, which referees public labor disputes, to halt the strike. PERB let the strike continue. The union has 100,000 members but not everyone participated in the strike.
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The Sacramento Police Department did not immediate respond to The Bee’s inquiry.
This story was originally published October 27, 2026 at 4:19 PM.