Sacramento City Council members Katie Valenzuela and Caity Maple were among eight people arrested Wednesday in the Capitol swing space while demonstrating on behalf of state workers calling for a new contract and higher pay.
Members of SEIU Local 1000, which represents nearly 100,000 California state workers, protested in sweltering conditions outside the O Street building where lawmakers and the governor work. They eventually moved inside and blocked stairwells and doorways before the arrests were made.
California Labor Federation leader Lorena Gonzalez and Sacramento Central Labor Council executive director Fabrizio Sasso were also among those detained.
SEIU 1000 union members have been without a contract since June 30. They are seeking an 18.75% raise over three years, along with continued health care stipends and other benefits.
Bargainers for the union say the state last offered an 8.5% salary increase over the same period, which they argue does not match the rate of inflation since 2022.
The offer “doesn’t even begin to amount to something we can take to our members and say ‘this is something you deserve,’” said Jonah Paul, a marketing analyst with the state’s unemployment division and president of the union’s DLC 785 chapter.
Paul was one of the demonstrators arrested Wednesday and spoke to CapRadio before the protest and his arrest.
Workers say they will pay between $300 and $500 more per paycheck toward their pensions and health care costs without a contract. “In essence, we’re just going to be losing out over the next three years” if the state does not come to an agreement with the union, Paul said.
Earlier this week, more than two dozen Democratic state lawmakers sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom urging a contract “that respects state employees and helps them continue to provide the essential services all Californians need.”
When asked about the negotiations Monday, Newsom said he “support[s] a new contract and I believe they deserve better pay” but would not comment further.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Lorena Gonzalez. It has been corrected.
