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Ventura County Superior Court employees represented by SEIU Local 721 voted to authorize an unfair-labor-practice strike, but the vote was not a walkout. The union said 98% voted yes, and its notice identified Oct. 12 as the earliest a strike could happen. As of Oct. 3, 2026, no strike call, final contract agreement, or courthouse closure had been confirmed in the available reports.
What the strike-authorization vote means
A strike-authorization vote gives SEIU Local 721 the option to call a strike if negotiations do not progress; it does not itself start one. Ventura County Star reported that the union announced a 98% yes vote among represented court employees at a Sept. 30 picket outside the Hall of Justice. SEIU said the vote was conditional on negotiations failing to move forward.
SEIU’s Sept. 28 notice said a strike could happen as soon as Oct. 12. That was the union’s stated possibility, not a confirmed strike date. The Star’s Oct. 3 report described no final agreement, strike call, or work stoppage.
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How the dispute reached the vote
- Sept. 22: SEIU Local 721 said its elected Ventura Superior Court bargaining team began an unfair-labor-practice strike-authorization vote. The bargaining team and its Contract Action Team unanimously recommended voting yes.
- Through Sept. 29: Voting remained open, according to the union.
- Sept. 30: The union announced the result at a picket outside the Hall of Justice. The existing contract was set to expire around this period, and the Star reported that negotiations had begun roughly two months earlier.
- Oct. 3 status: The Star reported no settled contract. It also said the state had not decided whether the union’s unfair-labor-practice charges would become formal complaints or be dismissed.
SEIU has said its represented employees had never struck before; that is the union’s account. The vote and the union’s warning about a possible system shutdown should not be confused with evidence that a strike or shutdown occurred.
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What workers say is wrong
SEIU and its members say labor rights, staffing, and working conditions are central to the dispute. These are union allegations and employee accounts, not findings that the court violated labor law.
- Workplace policies: SEIU says management changed the dress code to prohibit union lanyards, badge reels, and badge holders; refused to release bargaining-team members in a way that departed from past practice; and imposed a remote-work policy that included a waiver of union rights.
- Staffing and workload: Workers quoted by the Star described vacancies, retention problems, falling staffing levels, and heavier workloads. Amy Sager, a court program supervisor and union board member, said, “We’re drowning in work. We’re having to do the jobs of two to three people.”
- Information exchange: Sager said the court stopped using the Ventura County Integrated Justice Information System on Aug. 1, requiring staff to print and fill out forms instead of exchanging case information online. She said the change increased workloads and delays; the report did not provide an independent operational evaluation.
- Contract priorities: The Star reported that SEIU’s main demands include cost-of-living adjustments and improved health benefits.
SEIU’s Sept. 28 advisory reported findings from a member worksite survey: 97% of surveyed members said conditions had worsened over the prior year, and 78% said they had considered quitting. The Star also reported those figures as union survey findings. The sources do not state the survey’s sample size, response rate, or methodology, so the results should not be generalized to all court employees.
What court administration says
Ventura County Star reported that Court Executive Officer Kate Bieker did not respond to its interview requests. The court provided a written statement from Presiding Judge Matthew P. Guasco, saying it had bargained in good faith toward an agreement that is reasonable, sustainable, fair, and recognizes employees’ work. The statement called the union’s unfair-labor-practice claims false and misleading, said the court was responding to the charges, and said it respects labor laws and employees’ union rights.
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Could Ventura County courts close?
As of Oct. 3, there was no confirmed strike or reported courthouse closure. If SEIU were to call a strike, the union warned it could affect judicial services across its stated 2,208-square-mile county service area. The court’s official website lists three locations: the Hall of Justice in Ventura, the Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard, and the East County Courthouse in Simi Valley.
The Star reported that delayed records and case information could affect attorneys and residents, citing a union member’s account. The available reporting does not establish which services would be affected, whether any location would close, or how long any disruption might last. Anyone with an upcoming court date or filing deadline should check current notices directly with the court rather than assume a closure.
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What to watch next
- Whether SEIU calls a strike after further negotiations; Oct. 12 was the earliest possibility named in its advisory, not a confirmed date.
- Whether the state issues a decision on the unfair-labor-practice charges. As of the Star’s Oct. 3 report, the charges had not been resolved through a formal complaint or dismissal.
- Whether the court or union announces a contract agreement or changes to court operations. No final agreement was reported as of Oct. 3.
For current information, consult Ventura Superior Court’s website and SEIU Local 721’s website. The court’s site lists its locations and publishes court information; the union’s materials state its position and notices.
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