**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, AUG. 5, 2025**

Tuesday, August 5, the public servants who keep Novato running — including street maintenance workers, building inspectors, park recreation coordinators, and city planners — will begin an unfair labor practice strike.

City services will be significantly disrupted:

• Summer youth programs set to begin that day will go unstaffed.
• Street maintenance crews will not report to work.
• Building inspections will not take place.

The unfair labor practice strike follows a 98% strike authorization vote passed by the SEIU 1021 bargaining unit on Tuesday, July 29.

What: City of Novato workers on an unfair labor practice strike.
When: Tuesday, August 5, all day. Main rally & press availability at 10AM.
Where: Novato City Hall (901 Sherman Avenue, Novato, CA 94945).
Visuals: Public servants in purple shirts, holding picket signs, giving speeches, chanting. 

Perry Siu, a recreation supervisor for the City of Novato, stated: “Novato’s public services run because of its employees. We love our jobs. We don’t want to go on strike. But we have to hold the City of Novato accountable to the community, its employees, and its fiscal commitments to public services.” 

During the November 2024 elections, Novato voters passed Measure M. Replacing a former sales tax, Measure M is estimated to bring in $10 million of locally controlled revenue per year. As described on the City of Novato’s website, this funding was proposed to “directly support community-identified priorities such as public safety and emergency response, roadway repairs, and parks and facilities maintenance.” 

Unfortunately, Novato City Council is refusing to follow through on their promise to Novato’s voters. 

As a community, Novato voters passed Measure M to provide the necessary funds to make Novato thrive. The City of Novato must honor the will of the voters. The City should follow its strategic plan to recruit and retain staff so that we can fix Novato’s potholes and keep our City safe. 

The City of Novato is facing a severe recruitment and retention crisis, with one in five SEIU 1021-represented employees having been on the job for less than a year.

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SEIU Local 1021 represents nearly 60,000 employees in local governments, nonprofit agencies, courts, health care programs, and schools throughout Northern California, including seven private colleges and numerous community colleges. SEIU Local 1021 is a diverse, member-driven organization with members who work to make our cities, schools, colleges, counties, and special districts safe and healthy places to live and raise our families.