BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Public workers employed by Kern County are gearing up for their second strike of the year, citing unfair labor practices and understaffed agencies.
The two-day strike is scheduled for June 3-4, the Service Employees International Union Local 521 announced this week.
It follows an earlier strike that was called in March for similar reasons. It was the first such strike in the county’s history. The union represents about 5,000 county employees.
“We’re striking for two days, so that the other 363 days in the year can be better for taxpayers of Kern County,” Genevieve Egana, a county librarian and union member, said during a press conference this week. She stood in front of a crowd of union members holding signs with the slogan “Fix Kern Now!”
Union leaders insist Kern County has the funding to invest in departments they argue face critical staffing shortages, including sheriff’s dispatchers and road workers. The union argues the county can reduce the money it places into its rainy-day fund and instead raise wages to help recruit employees.
But during a budget update in March, the county projected a $9 million shortfall for the year, largely driven by a reduction in oil tax revenue. This week, officials again said the county is facing an additional funding cut of $500 million from the federal government. They said that could affect a slew of departments.
Negotiations between the county and the union are ongoing. Union members most recently rejected an offer that included a 6% raise over two years, calling it inadequate.
A county spokesperson declined to comment on the looming strike or the union’s claims citing the ongoing negotiations.
The union says it will cancel the strike if an agreement is reached in the next two weeks.
During the March work-stoppage, services across the county screeched to a halt as social workers, librarians and maintenance workers protested outside the Kern County Administrative Building.
