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California state workers strike in Los Angeles over wages and health care

Several cities · pinned on Los Angeles, United States · Oct 21, 2026

Is it still on?

NOIt was a one-day action on Oct 21.

Last report · checked

The Tea in three lines

Why they are protesting
California state workers protested against the administration's alleged failure to bargain in good faith over labor contracts.
What they want
Protesters demanded a fair contract with salary increases, better healthcare contributions, and telework policies.
What changed
Oct 21, 2026: Thousands of state employees participated in a statewide one-day strike, including picketing in downtown Los Angeles.
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Both sides

What protesters want

  • Salary increases totaling 20 percent over three years
  • Higher state healthcare contributions
  • Department-level remote-work policies based on operational needs
  • Fair contract negotiations in good faith

Organised by: SEIU Local 1000, CASE, CAPS-UAW, PECG

What authorities say

According to KQED, the state had sought to stop the walkout, arguing that it put pressure on negotiations and threatened public health and safety.2

The numbers

Only figures a source states, with who said it. Estimates often differ.

Crowd
1,000s
thousands of California state workers12

The full story

Thousands of California state workers walked off the job in a historic one-day strike, staging demonstrations across multiple cities including downtown Los Angeles. Organised by SEIU Local 1000 alongside other employee organisations, the walkout marked the first strike in the union's history following the expiration of their collective bargaining agreement. Workers picketed outside state buildings to protest what the union alleged was bad-faith bargaining by the Newsom administration regarding wages, healthcare contributions, and telework policies. The action affected various state departments, leading to modified operations at some motor vehicle offices and state parks. The state had previously sought to prevent the walkout, arguing it threatened public health and safety and exerted improper pressure on ongoing negotiations.

Timeline

  1. Thousands of state employees walked off the job in a statewide one-day strike, holding demonstrations in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and other cities.12

Pins sit on city centres, never on gathering points

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