Tens of thousands of state government workers, members of SEIU Local 1000, were expected to walk off the job on October 21 for a one-day strike. This action affected services at various state agencies across California, including the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), unemployment offices at the Employment Development Department (EDD), and food assistance programs at CalFresh. State parks also faced potential impacts, with one facility, Hearst Castle, adjusting its tour schedule.
The strike marked Local 1000’s first statewide walkout in its 44-year history. The union, representing about 100,000 public workers across dozens of state agencies—including accountants, government analysts, nurses, IT workers, and custodians—protested what they described as bad-faith bargaining practices by Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration. The union has been negotiating a new labor agreement since its previous three-year contract expired on June 30.
Residents attempting to access state services could experience delays, and some DMV offices might close early, according to a department spokesperson. Union president Anica Walls urged Californians "to give our employees some grace," explaining that the strike is for "100,000 state workers who have not had a good living wage," and that it is about the working class. If services are limited, Walls suggested making appointments for another day.
Approximately 95,000 union members were eligible to participate in the strike, while the remaining 5,000 workers were legally excluded due to their absence posing an "imminent and substantial threat to public health or safety." These excluded employees generally work in healthcare or public safety, and include specific roles such as veterans homes nurses, cooks at state prisons, and Caltrans dispatchers within eight state agencies and divisions deemed essential.
Union members authorized the strike earlier this month. Demonstrations were planned in more than a dozen cities, including Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento, where members also intended to march to lawmakers’ offices near the Capitol.
The contentious talks included a complaint filed by the union in July with the state’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). The complaint accused CalHR, the state agency handling labor negotiations, of delaying negotiations and rejecting proposals. Last month, the labor board sided with the union, concluding that CalHR "refused to meet and confer in good faith."
Many state workers express frustration with Governor Newsom, who has demanded wage cuts to help balance the budget in three of his eight years leading the state. These cuts effectively negated a previous 3% salary increase for Local 1000 members. The union points to a $20 billion increase in general fund spending over the past two years, advocating for better pay, more affordable healthcare coverage than offered by the administration, and greater flexibility for remote work, pushing back against the governor’s return-to-office mandate.
Angela Musallam, CalHR’s deputy director of communications, stated that the agency is coordinating with the union and state departments, and that state departments have contingency plans for potential disruptions. CalHR had also filed its own unfair practice complaint with PERB in an attempt to stop the strike, claiming the union had not identified essential workers for exclusion. However, PERB sided with the union last week, rejecting CalHR’s request for an injunction.
Both parties are scheduled to meet for mediation talks on October 30. Musallam noted that CalHR "remains focused on achieving a fair and responsible agreement." Walls indicated that if the Newsom administration continues what the union views as bad-faith bargaining, Local 1000 will "escalate" its actions, potentially through another complaint to the labor board or another strike.
