California state workers strike Wednesday

SEIU Local 1000, representing more than one hundred thousand California government employees, walked off the job Wednesday for the first time since the union's founding in two thousand four.

Three demands: pay, healthcare, remote work

The union is demanding a twenty percent pay raise over three years, increased state contributions to healthcare costs, and flexibility to work from home instead of returning to the office.

Newsom's office mandate sparked the strike

Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state workers to return to the office four days a week by July first. He vetoed a union-backed bill requiring written justification for office requirements.

Workers say raise or remote work, not both

Jessica Brooks, an innovation analyst at the Department of Health Care Services, said the state must choose: give workers a raise or let them save money by working from home.

“Give us a raise or let us save money, both personally and with the state by working from home.”

State says it remains at bargaining table

The California Department of Human Resources said it is coordinating with the union and state departments, which have contingency plans. The department said it remains focused on achieving a fair agreement.