SEIU Local 1000 Holds Strike Schools as California State Worker Contract Talks Stall

SEIU Local 1000, representing approximately 96,000 California state workers, held its second virtual strike school on August 12 as contract negotiations with the state remain stalled.

The union's contract with the state expired June 30. No new agreement has been reached.

The Dispute

The union filed a bad-faith bargaining complaint with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), alleging that the state mischaracterized the terms of a 2025 side letter and rejected union wage and benefit proposals at the last minute of negotiations.

Union Demands

The union is seeking a 20% general salary increase over three years. Additional demands include changes to healthcare coverage, retirement benefits, and teleworking policies. Anica Walls is the union president; Bobby Roy is the chief negotiator.

Strike Schools

The union has organized three virtual strike schools. The first was held July 30; the second on August 12. A third is scheduled for August 27. Strike schools are sessions that prepare union members on what to expect and how to participate in a work stoppage.

The dispute is one of several labor standoffs 411 Press has tracked this summer, including Teamsters Local 512 and Durham School Services, who reached an agreement averting a Jacksonville school bus driver strike on August 8.

This is a developing story. More details will be published as information becomes available.