Last week, across Alameda County, SEIU 1021 members of Alameda County Superior Courts went on a two-day unfair labor practice strike. Workers were driven to this step by management’s unwillingness to address their issues after months of bargaining and last year’s unnecessary furloughs.

The courts’ pervasive understaffing is hurting workers and the public alike. Just two examples are reduced Friday hours, limiting public access to the justice system; and understaffing, forcing legal processing assistants to do court clerk work they aren’t trained to do, which is stressful for them and raises the disturbing possibility of mistakes that could set a guilty person free, deprive an innocent person of their rights, and slow down the system for everyone.

No matter how many times SEIU 1021 members brought these issues up at the bargaining table, management wouldn’t listen, so workers were forced to strike.

Spirits were high at courthouses across Alameda County, with signs reading “Where’s the Fairness” and chants of “No contract, no peace!” filling the air.

As courtroom clerk Shonda Williams told KTVU, “We really don’t want to strike, but we have to strike for our workers’ rights, and for our community, for the public. We are here to serve the public, and we want to serve them and be knowledgeable, as well as serving them with accuracy and efficiency.”

The strike made headlines across the Bay Area, including the East Bay Times, which quoted Chapter President Kasha Clarke as saying, “We’ve been letting the public know that we are out here because of them so that we can have the court prioritize the worker, so that we can do what we’re supposed to do, which is to prioritize the public. We’re the ones that keep the wheels turning.”

The community came out in support of our strike, as well, including Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Bas and Alameda Labor Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer Keith Brown. Other union members, like court reporters and the Alameda County Management Employees Association (ACMEA), also honored our picket lines.

The workers and management have headed back to the table, and everybody who believes that justice is for all of us hopes they get a fair deal hammered out soon.

Jennifer Simton is a legal processing assistant who has been with Alameda County Superior Court for 24 years. She also serves on the bargaining team and the contract action team. She said, “I think the court needs to understand that right now, we have no faith in upper management. We know we are crucial and essential for the courts to run, but we’re being talked to and talked about with disrespect, and our issues are still being ignored. Training matters to us, because our work affects people’s lives. People come to us for help, and we want to make sure we’re able to help them, but the court doesn’t respect that or support us.”

Melisa Callender is a courtroom clerk at Hayward Hall of Justice, where she’s worked for 10 years. She serves as a shop steward and is a member of the bargaining team. She said, “Being on the strike line with my coworkers today was empowering! I encourage everybody, if you have a bully in your life, stand up to them. Stand up for what you know is right. It may get harder before it gets better, but it WILL get better.”

You can check out more stories, like this one about SEIU 1021 members Jennifer Duan and Camellia Sirak, and this KQED story, and this Courthouse News piece. Stay tuned for more updates!