Alameda County Court Strike Continues for Second Day, Disrupting Cases

Updated 10 a.m. Thursday

About 400 Alameda County Superior Court employees continued their strike for a second day on Thursday, demanding that court administrators address ongoing staff shortages and insufficient training.

Workers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and other labor unions picketed at several courthouses, including the Hayward Hall of Justice. Criminal, civil and juvenile court proceedings across the county were disrupted. A representative with SEIU Local 1021 said the strike could delay cases ranging from felonies to traffic disputes if it continues.

After their first day on the picket line Wednesday, SEIU Local 1021 said court management still wasn’t hearing their concerns.

Bargaining negotiations started last September, but little progress has been made, according to Kasha Clarke Young, a courtroom clerk at the Hayward Hall of Justice. She said it feels as if the administration is refusing to address worker concerns. Employees represented by SEIU Local 1021 have been working without a contract since the end of December.

“The court has been severely understaffed for quite some time, which is causing courtroom clerks to have to cover multiple departments in a day,” Clarke Young said. “That’s when mistakes and errors come into play, and those mistakes and errors can vastly affect the public.”

Chris Flink, a spokesperson for SEIU Local 1021, said in a statement that nearly 20% of court positions are vacant and workers are often expected to take on additional responsibilities that they are unqualified for. Legal processing assistants, for example, will occasionally assume clerk duties, Flink said.

In a Wednesday statement, Alameda County Superior Court representatives disputed the allegations and expressed concern over how the strike could interrupt the court’s operations. While available managers and staff are working to ensure that critical court functions can continue, the labor action puts the county at risk, court spokesperson Paul Rosynsky said the labor action puts the county at risk.

“Without court clerks, court reporters and some managers working, it will be harder for domestic violence victims to receive emergency restraining orders against violent partners, and some felons could be released from jail if their case cannot be heard before state-mandated deadlines,” he said in the statement.

Rosynsky said concerns over lack of staffing have not been the main focus of recent bargaining sessions. The Judicial Council of California estimated that the court is actually overstaffed by more than 100 employees, he said.

According to Rosynsky, SEIU Local 1021 has been insistent on salary increases for workers, but the court doesn’t have sufficient funds. Alameda County Superior Court experienced a $4.4 million budget reduction this year as part of a statewide $97 million cut to trial court budgets, Rosynsky said. The court is currently working to bridge the gap in funding.

“Court administration continues to be available for negotiations and mediation to reach agreement,” he said in the statement. “While the unions’ work action threatens public safety, the court’s executive team and available employees are diligently working to keep some courtrooms open to ensure the most critical cases can be heard.”

The next bargaining date is scheduled for next week.

KQED’s Juan Carlos Lara contributed to this report.

Feb. 20: This article was updated with the second day of the court strike and to correct a misspelling of SEIU Local 1021 representative Chris Flink’s name on second reference.