Tens of thousands of California state workers walked off the job on Wednesday in a one-day statewide strike, staging one of the largest labor actions against the administration of Governor Gavin Newsom. The strike, led by SEIU Local 1000, shut down or slowed operations across state agencies as workers demanded pay raises, stronger health benefits and protections for remote work, according to ABC News.
The union, which represents about 100,000 state employees, says it has been working without a contract for nearly 20 months. SEIU Local 1000 accuses the Newsom administration of using the state’s fiscal crisis as cover to impose cuts on workers, Bloomberg Law reported, arguing that state employees are being asked to shoulder a budget burden they did not create.
Pay, telework and benefits are at the heart of the dispute. The union says its members deserve raises that keep up with the cost of living in California, along with firm guarantees that telework arrangements will not be rolled back. It also wants the state to hold the line on health care costs for workers and their families.
The walkout affected a wide range of state offices and services on Wednesday, though essential workers in public safety and critical care roles were exempt from the strike. State officials said they were working to minimize disruptions for residents while the 24-hour action ran its course.
Union leaders warned that Wednesday’s strike is only a warning shot. If contract talks do not move, they say, workers are prepared for further action. The administration has not yet signaled when the next round of bargaining will resume, leaving the state’s largest public employee union and the governor on a collision course heading into budget season.