Staff interpreters at Alameda County Superior Court and courts in nine other Northern California counties have authorized a strike, their union announced this week, after over eight months of bargaining.
The California Alliance of Legal Interpreters said Monday that 96% of members voted to approve the strike authorization, the Pleasanton Weekly reported.
A vote to authorize a strike does not set a date for one; the union said it does not want to walk out and disrupt court services but would have no other choice if bargaining does not produce what it considers a fair result.
Who is covered
The union represents 91 staff interpreters employed by the superior courts in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, Sonoma, Humboldt and Mendocino counties. Courts in Napa, Lake and Del Norte counties employ no staff interpreters, according to the union. Interpreters in the 15 counties of what is known as Region 2 bargain as a single unit.
The union's case
The union accuses the Region 2 courts of favoring contract interpreters over employees, which it says violates the Trial Court Interpreter Employment and Labor Relations Act, the state law that requires courts to give staff interpreters hiring priority over contractors. It says 42% of staff interpreters have left their jobs over the past nine years as a result.
