Strike OKd by Union of State Workers

Members of the largest union of state workers have voted to authorize their first-ever strike if the union is unable to agree on a new contract with the Schwarzenegger administration, according to results of balloting released Monday.

Service Employees International Union Local 1000, which represents 87,000 of the 173,000 rank-and-file state workers, could formally declare a strike as early as Thursday, the legal deadline for passing the state budget, if they don’t have a new deal. Union officials refused to say when workers might leave their jobs.

With no precedent for such a walkout, it is not clear whether a strike by state workers is legal. But a strike by Local 1000 could affect the daily lives of millions of Californians. The union represents toll collectors, tax collectors, custodians, DMV staffers and agricultural inspectors -- as well as nurses, teachers, cooks and other support staff in prisons and state hospitals.

Local 1000 President Jim Hard billed the strike authorization vote, which was conducted by mail and in a series of meetings over the last month, as a show of strength, noting that 84% of those who cast ballots had voted to authorize the strike. But Hard and other union officials refused to say how many of the 87,000 workers it represents had actually cast ballots.

There were indications Monday that the talk of a strike may prove academic. Publicly and privately, Local 1000 leaders and state officials said their daily talks had been progressing well.

At an afternoon news conference Monday, Hard proposed that the union and administration begin “around-the-clock” negotiations to reach a final deal by Thursday.

“I think there have been positive signs very recently,” Hard told reporters in Sacramento, a reference to the administration’s decision to drop proposals on pensions and contracting out-of-state services.

Hard said differences remain on wages -- the state is proposing a 3% raise over a one-year agreement -- and the amount workers must contribute to cover their own healthcare costs.

Lynelle Jolley, communications director for the state Department of Personnel Administration, which handles the contract talks, said: “The negotiators for the administration have lots of reason to be optimistic that we can reach an agreement soon.”

*

Mathews reported from Los Angeles, Halper from Sacramento.