Last October, San Francisco Superior Court members went on a one-day unfair labor practice strike to protest the court’s refusal to negotiate in good faith over issues like inadequate staffing and training.

Now, it looks like it’s Alameda County Superior Courts’ turn!

SEIU 1021 members have been at the table since late 2024, fighting for fair wages and an end to the unfair practice of assigning workers out of classification without compensating them accordingly.

Other issues the workers face include an attack on bilingual community services, cuts to bereavement leave, and restrictions on sick time usage.

SEIU 1021 Bargaining Team member Shonda Williams, an experienced courtroom clerk at the Hayward Hall of Justice, said, ”Bargaining has been bad since day one. Management has been officious and impertinent at the table, and the disrespect has to stop.”

Last week, hundreds of the workers packed the Alameda Labor Council building for a high-energy Strike School session, where they discussed their legal rights and responsibilities in a strike. Now, across the county, members are voting on whether or not to authorize their bargaining team to call an unfair labor practice strike.

“We’re human beings, and we work hard: the amount of respect management thinks they deserve, we definitely do deserve. We have big issues that need to be addressed: pay, takeaways, insufficient training, and being forced to work out of classification without compensation. We’re fighting hard for our members and for the public we serve, and when we bring these important issues to the table, we need management to bring some results to the table. This strike vote is huge for us.

If management doesn’t show respect and meet us in the middle, we’ll definitely be on the picket line,” Williams added.