Catherwood LibraryILR School

Nearly 2,000 city workers in Oakland will go on strike at 2 pm on Thursday to protest what they claim are unfair labor practices. A spokesperson for the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 said that charges have been filed with the NLRB after the city allegedly changed the terms of employment without negotiating with the union. The city has been negotiating with the union for nearly six months for improved safety regulations and better wages. Librarians, building inspectors, street cleaners, sewer workers, and parking enforcement officers are among the city employees who plan to picket outside of Mayor Libby Schaaf’s “State of the City” address at the Islamic Cultural Center. Protestors will highlight Oakland’s growing housing crisis and emphasize the city’s reliance on overworked employees in understaffed departments.