More than 550 Berkeley municipal workers will stage a two-day strike next week if efforts to reach a contract agreement with the city continue to fail.
Union leaders announced the strike for next Wednesday and Thursday to protest what they say are Berkeley’s unfair labor practices.
“The City of Berkeley has chosen to prioritize massive pay increases for upper management while working people struggle to keep up with rising costs,” said SEIU 1021 Negotiating Team Member Jamie Cooney, Hazardous Materials Inspector for the city.
“We are ready to strike if they don’t come to the table with a meaningful offer,” Cooney said.
In late October, 93 percent of the 550 members of SEIU Local 1021’s Community Services Unit and Part-time Recreation Leaders Association voted to authorize a strike after nine months of negotiations failed to reach an agreement.
If the strike is not averted, several vital city services could be affected, including transportation planning, libraries, housing inspection, health, welfare and social services.
Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín has scheduled a special closed session of the City Council to consult with the city’s labor negotiators on Friday at 4 p.m.
Neither Arreguín nor city spokesman Matthai Chakko responded to requests for comment on the potential strike and whether the city has plans to limit service disruptions if it goes as planned.
The union says its members’ wages have lagged the Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation, by 26 percent since 2012 and now lag the Bay Area’s average income by 39 percent.
This has led to serious recruitment and retention problems, according to union leaders, who want to tie wage increases, pension and dental benefits to inflation.
SEIU 1021 has filed unfair labor practice complaints with the state Public Employee Relations Board over the city’s alleged union fraud scheme involving denial of union representation and refusal to bargain in good faith, according to a statement from union leaders.
In addition, workers at Berkeley Day Camp staged a two-day strike in August and union workers protested outside City Hall in October.
“The issues facing both Berkeley residents and workers are urgent, but the city has refused to negotiate in good faith to address our issues for months,” said Librarian Julia Wiswell. “For a better future and an end to unfair labor practices in the city, we have no choice but to strike.”
