Chris Flink, flink [at] seiu1021.org, 510.701.9637

Oakland, CA – Alameda County Superior Court workers are continuing their unfair labor practice strike on Thursday February 20. After a full day on the strike line on Wednesday, the workers say Court management still isn’t hearing what they have to say.

Kasha Clarke is a Courtroom Clerk II for the Superior Court of Alameda County, working out of the Hayward Hall of Justice. She said, “All day yesterday, management accused us of slowing down court business and not doing right by the public, but the public was the least of their concerns last year when they issued furloughs that sent our members home without pay and deprived the public of our services.  We need to have our concerns — our real concerns — addressed at the bargaining table, from understaffing to undertraining to unfair practices. Management can claim this is all about money, but that simply is not true.”

Court management says the county is overstaffed by nearly 100 people, according to their calculations, but a union analysis shows that Alameda County lags behind similar jurisdictions, with 4.0 Superior Court workers per 100,000 residents, compared to Los Angeles County’s 4.7 per 100,000 and San Francisco City and County’s 5.0 per 100,000.

Furthermore, the vacancy rate, reflecting unfilled budgeted positions, has spiked in recent years:

 2020/21 – 11.58%

2021/22 – 17.48%

2022/23 – 17.64%

2023/24 – 19.02%

This understaffing crisis contributes to untrained workers being pressed to perform tasks beyond their job classification, which reduces the quality of service the public receives and hampers the work of the County’s justice system. 

This second day of the unfair labor practice strike could halt trials and delay hearings throughout the justice system in Alameda County, impacting everything from felony cases to divorces, custody cases, and traffic proceedings. 

What: Superior Court of Alameda County workers on unfair labor practice strike

When: Thursday, February 20 during court hours

Media availabilities:

6:30 a.m. at Hayward Hall of Justice (24405 Amador St, Hayward, CA 94544) 

Noon at René C. Davidson Courthouse (1225 Fallon St, Oakland, CA 94612)

Who: Courtroom clerks across criminal, civil and juvenile justice divisions

Visuals: Workers marching and chanting with picket signs

Visuals available for use without attribution: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/r6k3r72yrkpeid359627p/AHp9z9BmroLyZCsjuXEgr10?rlkey=auff9j9br9jmx4hbflt3q9b42&st=j0irx187&dl=0

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SEIU Local 1021 represents nearly 60,000 employees in local governments, nonprofit agencies, health care programs, courts, and schools throughout Northern California, including seven private colleges and numerous community colleges. SEIU Local 1021 is a diverse, member-driven organization with members who work to make our cities, schools, colleges, counties, and special districts safe and healthy places to live and raise our families.