SF court workers' strike closes offices

Source: SF Chronicle

The largest union of San Francisco court workers held a one-day strike Monday, closing clerks' offices and halting some jury trials, to protest administrators' negotiating stance that led to an imposed 5 percent pay cut.

Nearly 200 clerical employees and support staff walked out, said Steve Stallone, spokesman for Local 1021 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 60 percent of the Superior Court employees.

He said the strike virtually shut down the court. But the court's executive officer, Michael Yuen, said 31 of the 49 courtrooms remained open and all "critical and essential services" were maintained.

The judiciary and its employees have been hard hit by state budget cuts that have resulted in staff cutbacks and layoffs, unpaid furloughs and elimination of court services. Yuen said the San Francisco court's budget fell from $100 million in 2008-09 to $80 million in 2011-12. The court can expect further reductions after California's Judicial Council meets July 27 to decide how to parcel out $544 million in additional statewide budget cuts.

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