State court interpreters in Oakland walked off the job on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in a half-day strike at the René C. Davidson and Wiley W. Manuel courthouses, KQED reports. Their union says wages have stagnated and contract talks are moving too slowly. Alameda County Superior Court stayed open during the walkout.
Who is striking
The California Alliance of Legal Interpreters represents 91 staff interpreters in state courts across coastal Northern California. They work in Spanish, Cantonese, Hindi and other languages. KQED says the Oakland action was expected to involve some of the nearly two dozen interpreters in Alameda County. It's the union's second walkout this month, after a half-day strike at San Francisco's courthouses on Oct. 16, which Mission Local covered.
The pay gap
A 2025 Judicial Council of California report, cited by KQED, puts local staff interpreter pay at about $86,000 to $105,000 a year before benefits. The union wants the range raised gradually to $128,000 to $150,000, closer to federal court pay. Union negotiator Mary Lou Aranguren told Mission Local that state court interpreters earn 35% to 47% less than federal court interpreters. She also said the number of full-time interpreters the union represents has fallen 42% in nine years. The union accuses the courts of favoring higher-paid private contractors.
The courts' response
Alicia Vojnik, the courts' Region 2 bargaining representative, told KQED that contractor rates and employee salaries "cannot be compared directly" without counting benefits. She said the region has proposed mediation and that every court is "committed to maintaining essential operations and language services."