FRESNO, Calif. (KMPH) -
Even though thousands of Fresno County workers hit the picket line Monday, most services were still available.
Workers are upset over a 9% pay cut and what the SEIU calls "unfair labor practices" by the county.
Sheriff Margaret Mims issued the following statement regarding the strike:
"There has been no impact at the Fresno County Jail as a result of the SEIU job action. All Correctional Officers reported for duty for the day shift. A small percentage of support staff participated in the strike and the only public impact thus far is the closure of the Civil window in the lobby of the Sheriff's Office. I want to assure the public I will take every measure to see that the jail remains secure and that the inmates are supervised."
Fresno County Librarian Laurel Prysiazny says 16 of the county's 34 libraries are open despite the strike.
SEIU employees and volunteers will help keep the following locations open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday:
-Central Library
-Auberry
-Caruthers
-Clovis Regional
-Fig Garden Regional
-Fowler
-Kerman
-Pinedale
-Politi
-Reedley
-Riverdale
-Sanger
-Sunnyside Regional
-West Fresno
-Woodward Park Regional
The SEIU says some offices, like the county's social services office in Kerman, closed down completely because so many workers were on strike.
"I'm sorry that valuable services are disrupted today because the Board of Supervisors doesn't see how important our work is to this community," said Jennifer Jensen, a job specialist for the Department of Social Services. "If they understood how important our work was, they wouldn't have walked away from the bargaining table."
The strike is expected to last for three days.
The last time SEIU workers went on strike in Fresno was in 1997.
Stay with KMPH News and KMPH.com as we continue to follow this story.
