Burlingame City Workers Set To Strike Monday

BURLINGAME, CA — Dozens of municipal workers are set to participate in a one-day strike Monday, marking the first labor action of its kind among city employees since 1981, according to union officials.

AFSCME Local 829 represents more than 150 park employees, street sweepers, electricians, mechanics, librarians, parking enforcement officers and other city staffers. Union members voted overwhelmingly to approve the strike last month.

In a news release Friday, the union said it had notified the city of a one-day strike over unfair labor practices ahead of the City Council meeting Monday evening. The union finalized an agreement with the city that allows certain workers, whose jobs are deemed "critical for public health and safety," to report to work or remain on-call during the strike action.

Union leaders allege city management has been hostile and interfered with workers' rights several times during negotiations over a new contract, prompting complaints to be filed with the state labor board. Workers are seeking compensation that is more in line with similar jobs elsewhere in the Bay Area.

"Our AFSCME Union coworkers have approached the Burlingame City Council multiple times about a contract that keeps up with the rising costs of inflation and correcting disparities," Jennifer Bousquet, a children's librarian, said in a statement. "Instead of respecting our rights as city employees to free speech, city managers have responded by trying to discourage workers from speaking up."

AFSCME representatives said its bargaining team was informed during a Wednesday mediation session that the city was filing its own unfair labor practice charge against the union.

"Our union is very skeptical of the timing of these last minute charges by the city, which come on the heels of our announcement that workers will be going on a one-day ULP strike," said Rod Palmquist, a union representative. "AFSCME views these allegations as yet another attempt by the City of Burlingame to pressure workers to not exercise their fundamental associational rights."

Monday's City Council is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.