About 100,000 California state employees represented by Service Employees International Union Local 1000 could walk off the job Oct. 21 after voting overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, union representatives said Wednesday, Oct. 7. The vote does not mean a strike is certain. Union President Anica Walls said employees are prepared to walk out if negotiations with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration continue to stall. The workers include office staff, cooks, custodians and nurses at state agencies, libraries and hospitals, as well as employees at Caltrans, CalFire and the Department of Motor Vehicles. The union is seeking a 20% general wage increase over three years, lower-cost health benefits and more flexibility around telework. Walls said the union and administration remain far apart and that no additional bargaining dates have been set. A major point of conflict is Newsom’s order requiring most state employees to work in person at least four days a week. The requirement took effect in July after a one-year delay, reversing some of the remote-work arrangements adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. SEIU Local 1000 and other unions backed legislation that would have required state agencies to create their own remote-work policies and explain when employees must report to an office. The Legislature passed the measure, AB 1729, but Newsom vetoed it last month. A state auditor’s report found that expanded telework could save as much as $225 million. The state Public Employment Relations Board has appointed a mediator after finding an impasse last week. That determination followed unfair labor practice charges the union filed in July. The California Department of Human Resources said the administration remains willing to negotiate and is prepared to enter mediation. State employees represented by Local 1000 have not previously gone on strike, though members authorized a walkout about a decade ago before a last-minute agreement averted it. A strike this month could affect services across agencies and facilities statewide, depending on which workers participate and how the dispute develops.