SACRAMENTO, California — Thousands of scientists working for the state of California began a rolling three-day strike Wednesday in the first walkout by a state public employee union.
Members of the California Association of Professional Scientists marched under overcast skies in Sacramento to protest the lack of progress in contract talks. The walkout will spread to Los Angeles, Oakland and other cities on Thursday and Friday.
The union represents about 5,200 members who work in more than 50 state departments and deal with issues ranging from air pollution and toxic waste control to earthquake hazards and agricultural pests, according to its website.
Members have been without a contract since 2020, despite negotiations and mediation. Members rejected a tentative agreement earlier this year. Another state mediation session is scheduled for 28 November.
This is the first time state workers have gone on strike since public employees won collective bargaining rights in 1977, the Sacramento Bee reported.
“Nobody wants to strike, and nobody wants to be the first,” union president Jacqueline Tkac told the Bee. “But it’s really inspiring to know that we have people who are so passionate about our situation that they’re willing to strike for the first time and take that risk.”
Last week, the California Department of Human Resources filed unfair labour practice charges against the union in an attempt to stop the strike.
On Wednesday, the department said it was disappointed by the strike and that the state was continuing to bargain “in good faith”.
The state “will continue to work with CAPS to reach a fair successor agreement as we have with other bargaining units,” department spokeswoman Camille Travis said in an email.
The union’s main concern is higher wages. It says state scientists are paid 40% to 60% less than “comparable positions with the same level of responsibility doing similar or identical work”.