**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURS., FEB. 19**

Contact: Jennie Smith-Camejo, jennie.smith-camejo@seiu1021.org, (510) 710-0201

If it feels like déjà vu, it’s because nothing much has changed. The San Francisco Superior Court continues to face relentless challenges around short staffing, inadequate training, and gross mismanagement that have continued to lead to delays and mistakes that deny timely justice to defendants and victims alike. Attempts to get court management to address these concerns that have huge impacts on the lives of San Francisco residents through contract negotiations and mediation have failed. So court clerks will be picketing outside the court again Thursday to warn the public that a strike could start as early as next week.

What: Picket and rally at San Francisco Superior Court
When: Thursday, February 19, 12:15-1 p.m.
Where: Rally at Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant St.
Who: Court clerks and supporters
Visuals: Clerks marching, chanting with picket signs

October 9, clerks at Superior Court of San Francisco voted by an overwhelming 98% to authorize their contract negotiations team to call the second strike in two years—for the very same issues that forced last year’s strike. Since then, they have voted down a tentative agreement that did not go far enough to address their concerns; have continued negotiations; and went through a mediation process that failed to produce an agreement.

“At the Hall of Justice, the staffing crisis continues, even as the number of cases goes up, and it’s causing delays and mistakes that really impact people’s lives,” said Rob Borders, a courtroom clerk for the Superior Court for 11 years who has been at the SF Hall of Justice for 2.5 years and who is on the union negotiations team. “I’ve been aware of more instances where someone is not released when the court ordered them released than I have in the ten years I’ve worked at the court. We have tried everything in our power to get management to work with us to fix this, to no avail. We’re calling on presiding judge Rochelle East to intervene and direct management to use our input to get this court in a place where it can actually deliver the justice it’s constitutionally mandated to. Otherwise, we have no choice but to strike.”

Chronic short staffing, particularly at the criminal court, is driving the need for reference manuals and cross-training. With an increasing number of cases and too few staff, clerks often have to work in courtrooms with different protocols they haven’t been trained in, leading to delays and mistakes that can have detrimental impacts on people’s lives.

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SEIU Local 1021 represents nearly 60,000 employees in local governments, nonprofit agencies, health care programs, courts, 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.