San Francisco courtroom clerks threaten to strike as early as next week

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — San Francisco Superior Court clerks picketed outside the Hall of Justice on Tuesday afternoon, protesting what they say is management’s refusal to address their concerns that led to a strike last fall.

“Management hasn’t made any significant changes despite the fact that we actually did settle on a contract. So we’re here trying to hold their feet to the fire yet again,” Benjamin Thompson, a courtroom clerk and vice president of SEIU 1021, told Courthouse News.

The clerks, represented by Service Employees International Union, Local 1021, voted in early October by 98% to authorize a strike. Union organizers say a strike is “imminent,” and could happen as soon as next week.

“Citizens in city and county of San Francisco are entitled to certain things under the law. But if we’re not given help, if we’re not given the resources that we need,  you can only beat a horse so much before it finally stops moving,” Thompson said.

In October 2024, the clerks staged a one-day strike after their contract expired the previous month. More than 99% of clerks voted to authorize the one-day strike, which included roughly 200 workers from both the civil and criminal divisions.

In January, the clerks reached a one-year agreement that included language to close loopholes that have allowed positions to remain vacant when clerks were promoted or temporarily moved into other positions. It also mandated that court management provide ongoing, quality training for all court employees and have training manuals in place by May 1.

Now, the clerks are threatening to strike for a second time, with similar demands to the previous strike.

“This year is a mirror of the issues that we faced last year. But, the problem has become more acute,” Rob Borders, a courtroom clerk at the San Francisco Hall of Justice and union negotiator, told Courthouse News.

Borders said that a “hard hiring freeze” amid an “unprecedented case load” has exacerbated an already understaffed court, leading to clerks being assigned to courtrooms they have not been adequately trained in.

“Now the concern is going up, because if you are in a position where you might make a mistake, if you’re only doing 10 cases, 20 cases, it might not come out, but if you’re doing 30, 40, 50 cases, it’s going to be an issue,” he added.

The union’s demands include better training for clerks and an increase in hiring so that the court can handle the large number of cases it is getting. They are also asking for more consecutive time off.

“We just want a good contract. We want to be treated fairly. We want to be trained. We want to have management live up to its promises and meet our demands, which are not unreasonable,” Thompson said.

The union said that they have been in contract negotiations since September, but management had not made a “serious, good-faith” effort to meaningfully address their concerns.

During last year’s strike, the court remained open for mandated essential and emergency services and was operated by a skeleton crew of supervisors and junior clerks.

The San Francisco Superior Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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