Prosecutors and public defenders strike for higher pay in this California county
Public defenders and prosecutors are among about 250 government attorneys who went on strike Monday in California’s Sacramento County following two years without a contract. (Image from Shutterstock)
Public defenders and prosecutors are among about 250 government attorneys who went on strike Monday in California’s Sacramento County following two years without a contract.
Prosecutors and public defenders say they are overworked and underpaid, leading to high turnover. The county says its compensation packages are “competitive and generous,” with pay reaching a high of $247,000 for principal attorneys.
Courthouse News Service, the Sacramento Bee, Fox 40, KCRA and ABC 10 have news coverage.
Striking lawyers gathered Monday outside the Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse in downtown Sacramento, California. The strike was slated to last a week.
Lawyers have been working without a contract since the last one ended in 2022. They are seeking a 5.5% pay hike plus retroactive pay.
But county officials say the pay-hike request is in addition to pay increases of 14% to 15% granted under a contract extension lasting until June 2025, according to the Sacramento Bee. The union counters that the extended agreement provides only for cost-of-living adjustments, according to ABC 10 and KCRA.
Striking lawyers will continue to appear in court for ongoing trials and for “last-day” trials and preliminary hearings that must begin within a statutory period, according to TeriAnn Grimes, a homicide and cold case prosecutor with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, who spoke with ABC 10.
