San Francisco’s court system is staring down another major disruption as Superior Court clerks say they are ready to walk off the job tomorrow, in an open-ended unfair labor practice strike. Unless court leaders sign off on new staffing and training fixes, hearings, filings, and everyday court business could once again grind to a halt across the city.
Union Gives 3-Day Strike Countdown
SEIU Local 1021 says its members served a three-day strike notice on Court Executive Officer Brandon Riley and are prepared to launch an unfair labor practice strike tomorrow if there is no movement on their demands. The union wants reduced workloads, better training and more reference materials, and says current conditions are “unsustainable,” according to a union news release from SEIU Local 1021.
Court Vows Mandated Services Will Stay Open
Court leaders say the justice system will not slam completely shut, even if most clerks walk out. The Superior Court plans to keep mandated and emergency services running at the Civic Center Courthouse, the Hall of Justice and the Juvenile Justice Center, though public clerk counters may close if the strike goes forward. “Mandated services will proceed with the help of management employees who will triage and prioritize emergency matters for people who need help today,” Court Executive Officer Brandon Riley said, as reported by SFGATE.
Backlog And Previous Walkouts
This is not the first time clerks have flexed their muscles. A one-day walkout on Oct. 24, 2024, shut down nearly all court business and, reporting found, contributed to roughly 70 misdemeanor case dismissals tied to missed speedy-trial deadlines, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. After union members later voted down a tentative agreement, the court says bargaining continued until management declared an impasse on Nov. 21, 2025, as per the SF Superior Court.
How A Strike Could Hit The Public
If clerks leave their posts, people with court business should brace for headaches: delayed civil filings, postponed arraignments and sharply limited access to in-person clerk windows. The court says it will triage cases, prioritizing anything with a statutory deadline and true emergencies, according to the contingency plans and comments reported by SFGATE.
What To Watch In The Coming Days
Union leaders insist the showdown can still be avoided if the court agrees to what they describe as “commonsense” fixes on staffing and training. Court officials, for their part, point to months of bargaining and outside mediation. As the clock ticks toward Thursday, early signs of escalation, including picket lines and reports of thinner staffing at courthouse entrances, were already surfacing, according to Courthouse News Service.
Legal Stakes If The Walkout Drags On
The labor fight is not just inside baseball for courthouse regulars. Missed statutory deadlines can mean criminal charges tossed or civil cases pushed far down the road, and clerks point out that earlier staffing problems helped fuel the 2024 misdemeanor dismissals, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. The union has asked the Public Employment Relations Board to investigate. If the strike stretches on, the courts will have to keep triaging filings, and judges could be forced to reschedule or even dismiss cases that simply cannot meet legal timelines.
