San Jose city workers vote to strike in mid-August

Two unions representing around 4,500 San Jose employees voted to authorize a three-day strike starting on Aug. 15, in an effort to push the mayor and city council to support higher wages for its workers.

The strike would mark the first time since 1981 that a large group of city employees walk off the job in protest of working conditions.

“We need better benefits and pay for our workers,” said San Jose Fire Department 911 dispatcher Scarlet Darmousseh. “We need to be able to recruit and retain workers.”

The two unions, IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 101, make up a wide swath of city workers from departments that include parks, libraries, code enforcement and airport employees. Roughly 99 percent of the union employees approved the strike in a four-day vote that occurred last week, though the exact number of employees who participated was not made public.

If the strike ends up happening, city services would almost certainly be impacted. San Jose administrative officials said they are preparing for the action by determining which departments are needed to keep services running at a minimum.

Contract negotiations between the unions and city are currently gridlocked over pay bumps that amount to roughly $24 million a year, according to figures provided by the administration.

Mayor Matt Mahan has warned that the wage increase would present a major challenge to the city’s budget — and any rejiggering of worker’s pay could create a widescale slashing of city services. A contract for the unions expired in June.

“We are prepared for a strike,” said Mahan in an interview. “And I sincerely hope we don’t get there. The best chance for avoiding a strike and maintaining essential city services is to go back to mediation.”

San Jose councilmembers will be meeting in closed session on Tuesday to discuss the union negotiations.

This is a developing story and will be updated.