San Francisco Superior Court clerks have voted to authorize a labor strike amid stalled negotiations on a new contract.
The contract for court workers who are members of the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 expired on Sept. 30 as the court and its clerks tried to work out issues related to staffing levels, wages and benefits, according to the union and a spokesperson for the court.
The negotiations come as the court is working with a reduction of $2.5 million in state funding for the 2024-25 fiscal year, part of statewide cuts of $97 million to trial courts made by Gov. Gavin Newsom to close a nearly $28 billion deficit.
Union members have also been outspoken about the effect staffing levels are having on trials themselves, pointing to 70 misdemeanor cases that had to be dismissed in August because they had taken too long to go to trial.
Courtroom clerk Benjamin Thompson, who is also vice president of the SEIU local for San Francisco Superior Courts, accused court administrators of allowing inadequate staffing levels, not training staff well enough, and having technology problems that all contributed to the backlog of cases.
“When you have a court that is adequately staffed, and said staff are thoroughly and properly trained at their jobs, the wheels of justice turn as they are meant to: smoothly and correctly.”
Benjamin Thompson, VP of the SEIU local for San Francisco Superior Courts
“When you have a court that is adequately staffed, and said staff are thoroughly and properly trained at their jobs, the wheels of justice turn as they are meant to: smoothly and correctly,” Thompson said in a statement.
The union also said the delays were causing overcrowding in already understaffed jails. Joe Duncan, a registered nurse and labor co-chair for the SEIU 1021 RN chapter, said medical staff can’t meet the jail population’s needs without staffing increases.
“When people are stuck in jail waiting for their day in court longer than they should be, it just makes the overcrowding problem worse,” Duncan said.
“It creates ripple effects throughout the system, exacerbating existing problems,” he said.
A court spokesperson, Melinka Jones, said that the two sides had met 11 times and had five tentative agreements before the union’s previous contract expired. She said the two parties would meet again on Tuesday and that court representatives had also offered to meet again on Wednesday and Thursday.
“The court is committed to reaching a fair and mutually beneficial agreement and appreciates everyone’s understanding and cooperation during this process,” Jones said.
Jones said the court had offered Local 1021 members a one-year contract with a one-time lump sum payment of $6,500 to employees and an increase in the health benefit payment made by the court.
If the two sides can’t reach an agreement this week, a mediation session is scheduled for Oct. 22, according to Jones.
The post San Francisco court clerks authorize labor strike unless contract negotiations advance appeared first on Local News Matters.