For the first time, Ventura County Superior Court employees, upset by what they describe as leadership’s mismanagement, have voted to authorize a strike.
Service Employees International 721 leaders announced during a Sept. 30 picket outside the Hall of Justice that 98% of unionized court employees voted in favor of a strike if contract negotiations do not move forward.
“This is historic. We’ve never been pushed so far to the point of breaking that we’ve felt the need to do this,” said Amy Sager, a court program supervisor and union board member. “This time, we have been backed into a corner and feel that there is literally nothing else we can do. We need them to hear us because members cannot survive.”
Court Executive Officer Kate Bieker — the
focus of the union’s complaints — did not respond to interview requests, though court administration provided a written statement objecting to the chapter’s criticism.
“The court has been bargaining in good faith with the objective of reaching an agreement with its represented employees which is reasonable, sustainable, fair and honors the vital work they do each day to provide justice to all in Ventura County who seek it,” the statement from Presiding Judge Matthew P. Guasco, read.
‘Drowning in work’
The local chapter began contract negotiations roughly two months ago, ahead of the Sept. 30 expiration.
Members are primarily demanding cost-of-living adjustments and improved health benefits.
Sager, who has worked at the court for 20 years, said conditions for the judicial assistants and secretaries she supervises have dramatically worsened since Bieker was appointed in April 2025.
She said the court was already understaffed when Bieker stepped in, but the executive officer failed to fill vacancies, which became more frequent as retention dropped under her leadership. As a result, Sager said, all departments are now severely understaffed and overworked.
“We’re drowning in work. We’re having to do the jobs of two to three people,” she said. “We’re inundated, and we’re not being compensated for it in any capacity.”
A recent survey of union members shows that more than 75% have considered quitting their jobs due to the skyrocketing workloads, according to an SEIU news release.
To make matters worse, Sager said, Bieker decided that as of Aug. 1, court employees would no longer use the Ventura County Integrated Justice Information System — the data management system that the court, district attorney’s office, public defender’s office, sheriff’s office and probation agency have used for more than two decades.
Instead of seamlessly transmitting and receiving case information among agencies online, court employees now have to print and fill out forms, causing even larger workloads and margins for error, Sager said. The supervisor said her department is offering employees overtime to help process the backlog of case files.
She said minutes from hearings, previously published in real time, now take weeks or even months to be published, and her office is flooded with phone calls from attorneys and residents asking for updates.
“Bottom line, since the break from this system, we’re talking longer wait times in every single department and in the courtrooms,” she said.
Executive officer comes under fire
SEIU 721 President David Green said the change is yet another example of Bieker failing to consider the consequences her decisions have on employees.
“The buck stops with her, and she has the ability to do the right thing and listen to the people who are actually doing the work every day,” he said. “And we’ve felt like we’ve found nothing but resistance from her, unfortunately.”
In its statement to The Star, court leadership defended the executive officer.
“This attack upon the character and competence of Ms. Bieker is reckless and false,” the email from Guasco reads. “With the Judges’ support, Ms. Bieker has implemented many necessary changes to make the Court more efficient, to provide the public better service and to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
Bieker, the email asserted, has prioritized attracting, retaining and ultimately supporting court employees; under her leadership, the court has had no furloughs or layoffs but instead hired additional clerks and judicial assistants, improved training for employees and implemented initiatives to recognize and honor employees' service.
Union files unfair labor practice charges
Since negotiations began, the local union has filed three unfair labor practice charges against court management with the California Public Employment Relations Board.
SEIU accused the court of anti-union behavior, including changing the dress code policy to prohibit members from wearing union lanyards and badges to work, refusing to release the bargaining team, and imposing a remote work policy with a waiver on union rights, according to the union’s news release.
In the emailed statement, court administration wrote the union’s claims that the court has engaged in unfair labor practices are false, misleading and detrimental to the working relationships with employees. The court, the email states, is committed to following all labor laws and respecting employees’ right to engage in union activities.
The court is in the process of responding to the charges, and the state has yet to determine whether they should result in formal complaints or be dismissed.
Last year, the email states, Bieker led the agency to a collective bargaining agreement with union members that provided all employees with a 3% cost of living increase.
Currently, the court is offering members pay and benefits increases that are stronger than those at the majority of the other 57 superior courts in California, according to the email.
Green said the members do not want to go on strike but want to be prepared to do so if they continue hitting a brick wall in negotiations.
“For the contract not to be settled by now is frustrating for a lot of our workers because every single one of them is doing this job as a public service — not because it's glamorous or because they get paid a lot of money,” he said. “We want her to recognize the great work they do.”
Makena Huey is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at makena.huey@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism. The foundation plays no role in story selection. The Star retains full editorial control.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County court workers authorize strike, criticize leadership
