**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURS., OCT. 24**

Contact: Jennie Smith-Camejo, jennie.smith-camejo@seiu1021.org, (510) 710-0201

Nearly a month after their contract expired and two weeks after voting by over 99% to authorize a strike, San Francisco Superior Court’s roughly 200 courtroom clerks are going on strike. At the heart of the unfair labor practice (ULP) strike is court management’s refusal to negotiate in good faith, particularly on the inadequate staffing and training issues that have already caused over 70 misdemeanor cases to be dismissed and that continue to cause unnecessary delays and errors that can be very consequential to people’s lives. 

The strike, which comes during the second week of the Momeni trial at the San Francisco Hall of Justice and which includes both the criminal and civil divisions, could halt trials and delay hearings on everything from felonies to traffic violations to proceedings for divorces and child custody cases. But after months of bargaining in good faith while court management refuses to seriously address the root causes of the backlog, workers see a strike as a necessity to call the public’s attention to the court’s mismanagement and violations of both labor law and the U.S. Constitution.

What: SF Superior Court workers on strike
When: Thursday, October 24, during court hours. Media availabilities at 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. at Hall of Justice (850 Bryant St.)
Who: Courtroom clerks across criminal, civil, and juvenile justice divisions
Visuals: Workers marching and chanting with picket signs

“We don’t have enough clerks to staff the courtrooms. Clerks from other courtrooms are being thrown in to cover absences and vacancies without proper training. Different courtrooms handle different kinds of matters, some of which are unique to that courtroom alone. Clerks aren’t just interchangeable parts to be slotted in without a second thought,” said Benjamin Thompson, a courtroom clerk at the SF Hall of Justice and vice president of the SF Superior Court chapter of SEIU 1021. “None of this is unavoidable. All of it is unacceptable. It’s wreaking havoc on people’s lives. This isn’t a job moving boxes from point A to point B. You need specific training to ensure you aren’t destroying someone’s future. Currently you have defendants sitting in county jail longer than they should have to, and victims and their families waiting longer than they should have to, for their day in court.

Civil division courtroom clerk, SEIU 1021 SF Superior Courts chapter president and contract negotiations team member Kim Septien explained, “We are here to help San Franciscans exercise their rights under the law, whether that’s a criminal case, a traffic violation, a divorce, or someone trying to make sure a loved one in crisis gets the care they need. Yet our employer is actively breaking the law — and it’s the public that’s paying the price.

“We’re on the public’s side,” added Septien. “We want to be inside doing our jobs. But we need the staffing and tools to do them. We encourage anyone inconvenienced or anxious about this situation to call court management and tell them to address these concerns with their workers right away so we can get back to work and make the court work for San Franciscans.”

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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.