California state workers based in the Inland Empire joined a statewide strike Wednesday, as thousands of employees walked off the job amid stalled contract negotiations with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration.
About 200 workers picketed outside the state-operated Rosa Parks Memorial Building in downtown San Bernardino. The one-day walkout was organized by SEIU Local 1000, which represents roughly 100,000 state employees across about 140 departments.
The union said the strike was the first in its 44-year history. About 5,000 workers in essential health and safety positions were exempted from the action, according to the union…