CalHR tried to stop a strike by 100,000 state workers. The labor board will let it proceed.
PERB won't block SEIU Local 1000's one-day walkout Wednesday if nurses and other essential staff stay on the job.
California's labor board won't stop Wednesday's walkout by state workers, as long as the union keeps essential staff on the job. That puts SEIU Local 1000, representing nearly 100,000 state employees, on track for its first statewide strike.
In a two-page letter Friday, Oct. 16, lawyers for the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) said the board would not seek to halt the one-day strike set for Oct. 21 if Local 1000 agreed in writing by 2 p.m. that day to excuse the essential employees it had already identified, Abridged reported. PERB agreed with the state that workers such as nurses and counselors are essential to public health and safety. It also faulted the state, which "has been unable to provide accurate information regarding the number of available replacement workers." Whether the union met that deadline is still unclear. This is a developing story; check back for updates.
How we got here
The union's contract expired June 30. Members want raises of 7% this year, 7% in 2027, and 6% in 2028, cheaper health care, and more telework flexibility. About 96% of voting members authorized the strike. PERB declared an impasse Oct. 2 and sent the two sides to mediation.
The state's Department of Human Resources (CalHR) then asked PERB to block the strike, calling it "a calculated coercive tactic aimed at frustrating mediation by tilting the negotiating table in its favor." The union filed its own charge, saying CalHR walked away from talks over which workers must stay on the job. The union's strike page answered: "The State is afraid of the collective power of 100,000. That's why it's trying to stop our October 21 Unfair Practice Strike."
Under a 1985 California Supreme Court decision, a public employee strike is illegal only if it poses an imminent threat to public health or safety (County Sanitation Dist. No. 2 v. Los Angeles County Employees' Assn., 38 Cal.3d 564).
Who wins, who loses
Local 1000 keeps its strike. CalHR lost its bid to stop the strike outright and now has to bargain under pressure. Strikers won't be paid for hours missed, and the state has told departments to record strike absences as AWOL.
What to expect Wednesday
Picket lines start at 7 a.m. outside state buildings across California. CalMatters reported that DMV, unemployment, and disability insurance offices could see delays. If you need one of them, plan around Wednesday.
Sources
- Abridged: "Labor board won't block California state worker strike if union details essential worker plan" (Oct. 16, 2026)
- Abridged: "Gavin Newsom administration moves to block planned state worker strike" (Oct. 14, 2026)
- Sacramento Bee: "California looks to block state worker strike, asks labor agency to halt walkout"
- CalMatters: "CA state worker union authorizes strike in Newsom's last months"
- Times of San Diego: "Taxpayer-paid workers vote to go on strike across California" (Oct. 14, 2026)
- SEIU Local 1000 strike page
- City and County of San Francisco v. United Assn. of Journeymen, Local 38 (1986) 42 Cal.3d 810, describing the County Sanitation rule
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