SEIU Local 1000 Announces Statewide One-Day Labor Strike Affecting DMV, EDD, and State Parks

SEIU Local 1000, the largest public sector union in California representing nearly 100,000 state civil service employees, issued a formal strike notice on Tuesday morning announcing a planned one-day statewide unfair labor practice walkout scheduled for next Wednesday, October 28. The strike is expected to cause widespread operational disruptions across Northern California field offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles, Employment Development Department disability bureaus, and state park kiosks.

Union leadership stated that the walkout protests unilateral state executive orders mandating a minimum of two to four days of in-office attendance per week without formal collective bargaining, as well as chronic vacancies that have overwhelmed frontline administrative and healthcare workers. Union negotiators argued that rigid office mandates have exacerbated staff turnover, increased commute pollution, and reduced efficiency across specialized processing units that had operated productively under hybrid agreements since 2021.

The California Department of Human Resources issued contingency guidance advising residents to utilize automated online portals for vehicle registration renewals, driver license extensions, and unemployment claims during the scheduled strike window. State agency directors across San Francisco, Oakland, Concord, and San Jose confirmed that emergency public safety and 24-hour state hospital staffing will remain operational under essential worker exemption standards.

Union members, state employees, and members of the public can review strike picket locations, facility closure notices, and collective bargaining updates online at seiu1000.org and calhr.ca.gov. Questions regarding state appointment rescheduling and online DMV services may be directed to state employee support hotlines Monday through Friday at (866) 471-7348. State labor mediators have scheduled intensive conciliation talks in Sacramento ahead of the walkout deadline.