One of Oakland's biggest city unions says its members will walk off the job for one day on Nov. 5. The Oaklandside reported Tuesday that IFPTE Local 21 announced the strike date after more than six months of bargaining. Its contract with the city ended in June.
If it happens, it would be the first strike by an Oakland city union in nearly a decade. The last one was in 2017, when more than 2,000 SEIU 1021 members struck for seven days and were joined by IFPTE and IBEW members.
What the union wants
The Oaklandside said the sticking points include outsourcing of city work, guardrails on the use of artificial intelligence, and protections for workers if federal immigration agents show up at city workplaces. About 150 workers marched at lunchtime Tuesday. "We don't take this lightly," said Julian Ware, the union's Oakland vice president.
Staffing is part of the backdrop. The city's vacancy rate was about 18% in September, or 768 of 4,293 jobs, which The Oaklandside said is the lowest since 2021. More than one in five jobs IFPTE represents are unfilled, and the vacancy rate in the Human Resources department is over 34%.
Where the other unions stand
Oakland is bargaining with seven groups. According to the city's labor FAQ, Local 21 and SEIU 1021 together represent about 3,117 budgeted employees, and talks with them started in March and April. The police officers' association reached a deal at the end of August that averages 2.8% a year, or 14% over five years. The firefighters' union reached a tentative agreement this week, and SEIU 1021 members voted last week to authorize a strike. We covered the earlier strike threats from Oakland city unions.
Mayor Barbara Lee has not weighed in publicly, The Oaklandside reported. In a statement, the city said it "is continuing to bargain in good faith, with multi-year wage increases on the table, and with the expectation of reaching agreements with all four groups."