Much of Solano County’s public sector workforce remained on strike Wednesday for the second day of a planned two-day walkout.
Four of the county’s largest unions — SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, IUOE Local 39 and UAPD — representing a majority of its 2,300 employees called the strike over what union leaders say are unfair labor practices.
At issue, according to the unions, are low staffing levels in key departments and what workers see as the county’s lackluster recruitment and retention effort.
Union officials say they’re asking for a “livable wage,” among other things, to keep workers from being poached from other, better paying counties around the Bay Area and so people can afford to live and work in Solano County.
Job vacancies, particularly among therapists, clinicians, and behavioral health care workers, threaten public safety and community well-being, union leaders said in a news release Wednesday.
“Delays in mental health care are not abstract — they change lives,” said Family Health Services worker Sarah Soroken. “When people can’t get timely help, trauma goes untreated, crises escalate, and families are pushed into instability.”
The unions represent workers delivering mental health and medical services, social services, adult protective services, civil engineering and administrative services, among other things.
The county refutes the notion that it’s not bargaining in good faith and said it extended an offer totaling more than $90 million in wage and benefit increases.
During the strike, some people who visited county offices that were open may have experienced longer wait times. County officials said they’ve prioritized keeping health and safety services operational, so other services may have been delayed or need rescheduling.