San Jose City Workers Announce Strike Vote August 1st to 4th

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, July 27, unions representing over 4,500 San Jose city employees announced they will begin conducting in-person voting on August 1st to authorize a strike. Voting yes will allow the leadership of IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 101 to call a citywide strike should City Administrators fail to fix the recruitment and retention crisis impacting city libraries, the airport, affordable housing, emergency response times, and more.

The elected bargaining teams of IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 101 are unanimously recommending that members vote yes to authorize a strike. Voting will be held in-person at City worksites.

"I'm voting 'YES' to strike because I care deeply about my San Jose community. The recruitment and retention issues cannot be ignored any longer. We know that the City has the resources to do better for residents," John Tran, Airport Operations Supervisor at San Jose Mineta International Airport, and IFPTE Local 21 member.

"This strike authorization vote is a clear message that we will hold our council members and the Mayor accountable. We reject a future where the City fails to deliver services due to understaffing," said Rachel Atkins, Vet Technician at Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, and MEF-AFSCME Local 101 Member.

Contracts representing over 4,500 city workers expired on June 30 after both unions' bargaining teams spent months negotiating with the City. Workers are calling for an agreement that will restore the City of San Jose as a competitive employer of choice and alleviate the urgent staffing crisis that undermines the delivery of high-quality public services to residents.

BACKGROUND: For more information, visit StaffUpSanJose.org.

SOURCE IFPTE Local 21