San Mateo County Officials Brace For Potential Strike By 900 Employees

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SAN MATEO (CBS SF) – San Mateo County officials are bracing for up to 915 human services employees to go out on strike Tuesday and Wednesday.

During the strike, the county plans to maintain essential services but may close some locations and centralize services, according to a press release from the San Mateo County Manager's Office.

It's not known how many employees will take part in the strike or how many facilities may be affected. County officials said they are still hopeful that an agreement can be reached and a strike averted.

Information and updates on impacts from the strike will be posted at news.smcgov.org.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 829 represents 11 units of county employees.

The county and the union reached an agreement last month on a new three-year contract. Ten of the 11 units ratified the new contract.

The union has notified the county that the remaining unit, the Human Services Unit, will be striking on Tuesday and Wednesday, officials said.

The Human Services Unit represents 915 employees in departments that include the Human Services Agency, health, the sheriff's office and district attorney's office.

The current contract expired Oct. 6 and the county and the union have held more than 27 negotiations meeting since last summer, county officials said.

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, the Board of Supervisors approved the three-year agreement with the remaining 10 units composed of approximately 800 employees.