100,000 California State Workers Could Strike. Here Is What That Means for You.

SEIU 1000, the largest public sector union in California, opened a strike authorization vote on Monday. The union represents about 100,000 state employees, including the people at the DMV, Caltrans, state prisons, hospitals, and the EDD. Their contract expired on June 30, and after months of disputes over return-to-office mandates, pay, health care costs, and telework, they filed an unfair practice charge on July 22. A yes vote would give leaders the power to call the first statewide unfair practice strike in the union’s history.

Union president Anica Walls says the vote sends a clear message to the state that members are united and prepared to strike. Governor Newsom’s office has not responded to requests for comment. The last time SEIU 1000 even voted on a strike authorization was 2016, but that did not lead to a walkout. This time feels different because the state is pushing hard on return-to-office rules, a topic that has sparked tension across both public and private workplaces in Sacramento.

If a strike happens, the effects could be immediate for local residents. DMV offices could see major delays, Caltrans roadwork could pause, and state-run facilities could face staffing shortages. It is a dispute between the union and Sacramento leadership, but it is also a conversation about how we work now and whether taxpayer-funded jobs should offer the same remote flexibility as private ones. What do you think? Should state workers have a say in where they clock in?