Sonoma County Courtrooms Closed As Workers Go On Strike
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) – A strike by Sonoma County Superior Court workers has shut down nearly all the courtrooms in the Law and Justice Center and Civil and Family Law courthouses in Santa Rosa Wednesday morning.
Several dozen members of Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which includes court clerks, interpreters and legal processors, picketed at the main Law and Justice Center courthouse Wednesday morning where 15 courtrooms were consolidated into three that remained open.
Union spokeswoman Irene Rosario said negotiations on a new contract began in August. The old contract expired Sept. 23.
Workers want an extra eight-hour vacation day and a cost of living adjustment whenever any other courthouse employees receive one, Rosario said.
The strike also was about respect for the workers, she said.
Yasmin Mandujano, a senior legal processor in the court's criminal division, said she was denied the use of vacation time in lieu of sick time when she became ill two years ago.
"I'm here (at work) more than I am at home. It shows I mean nothing to them," Mandujano said regarding the refusal by the Human Resources Department to use her vacation time.
In a written statement, the union said court management has wasted money on a case management system that does not work and jeopardizes access to personal information.
"There is a massive lack of public access to the court system due to reduced public hours, chronic staffing shortages and cutbacks in basic supplies, all while the Court Administration continues to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on the Case Management System that does not work," the SEIU said in its statement.
"Employee morale is low, they are denied basic tools and appropriate training to provide the service the public deserves," the SEIU stated.
Sonoma County Superior Court Executive Officer Jose Guillen did not return a call for comment Wednesday morning.
Rosario said the SEIU will decide late Wednesday afternoon whether to continue the strike Thursday.
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