8 detained during California union protest over state worker contract standoff in Sacramento

At least eight people — including three prominent labor supporters — were detained Wednesday after members and supporters of one of California’s largest state worker unions refused to leave the Capitol swing space, shutting down the Legislature’s office building in Sacramento.

Members and supporters of SEIU Local 1000, which represents nine state worker collective bargaining units, escalated their fight for new contracts on Wednesday by blocking Capitol offices at 10th and O streets. (The offices were relocated last year due to the renovation of the Capitol annex.)

Between 150 and 200 demonstrators congregated in the street outside the swing space before about 50 of them took up residence inside the building, located at 1021 O St. The eight protesters who were later detained initially blocked the central stairwell and later the entrance to the main security checkpoint.

Just after 2 p.m., officers from the California Highway Patrol, which handles security for the Capitol and other major downtown government buildings, ordered the protesters to disperse.

After several minutes, officers were seen moving in to handcuff at least eight demonstrators, including Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, a former lawmaker who leads the California Labor Federation, and Sacramento Councilwomen Katie Valenzuela and Caity Maple.

“When I heard about what was going on with the contracts and was asked to participate today, it was a no-brainer,” Valenzuela said before protesters started blocking entryways. She was prepared to be taken away in handcuffs even before taking a seat on the swing space steps. “It was the easiest decision that I’ve made in recent weeks, honestly.”

Valenzuela said she has heard from state worker constituents who are struggling to afford basic necessities, such as food and rent. Another bad contract for members of Local 1000 won’t just hurt workers and their families, she said, but also Sacramento as a city.

Gonzalez Fletcher said she was willing to be detained and arrested in order to call attention to the “silent workers” who kept the state running during the pandemic. She said she hoped the governor would connect the dots between the state workers’ situation and the larger labor movement sweeping the country.

“It’s no different than the ‘hot labor summer that we’re seeing in L.A.’,” she said. “You don’t have a state government without its workers.”

It was not immediately clear whether detained demonstrators would be arrested or cited, though the eight were seen being taken away in a van. Law enforcement officers said the detainees were being transported to a CHP office located at 9th and R streets. The officers at the scene directed questions to a CHP spokesman who did not immediately return a call seeking additional information.

The protesters did not have a permit to be inside the building, according to Officer Paul Moos, who manages the permits for the CHP’s Capitol Protection Service.

SEIU 1000 and its members have been locked in contract negotiations with the state since April, and their last contract expired at the end of June. Members are particularly upset about losing a $260 monthly health care stipend — a loss that they’ve characterized as an annual pay cut of $3,120.

The protest follows a letter released Monday from the leaders of the Assembly and Senate committees on public employees that called on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration to quickly reach a deal with the union before the Legislature adjourns in September. Nearly 30 lawmakers signed the letter in support.

The California Department of Human Resources, which represents Newsom at the bargaining table, does not comment on negotiations while talks are ongoing, said spokesperson Camille Travis.