Sacramento County criminal justice attorneys could strike this month

(FOX40.COM) — The union for criminal justice attorneys working for Sacramento County has given notice to the county that it intends to strike starting on Aug. 26.

The Sacramento County Attorneys Association (SCAA) includes assistant district attorneys, assistant public defenders and attorneys for the Dept. of Child Support Services.

According to the union, their departments have retention and recruitment issues as a result of pay.

“Both of our offices are losing valuable talent and experience to other counties and agencies and our respective administrations are having difficulty attracting experienced attorneys to replace them,” an SCAA board member and senior attorney at the Public Defender’s office told FOX40.com. “It’s not sustainable and directly impacts the public. That is why we are fighting for a more competitive compensation package. We are doing it so that we can maintain the health of our respective offices and our ability to continue to effectively serve the people of Sacramento.”

The county said the vacancy rate for the relevant attorney positions is well below its overall vacancy rate for jobs and that pay is actually above the median compared with other counties.

According to the county, the two sides have an agreement that runs through the end of June 2025 that includes pay packages that, in some instances, can be as high as between $204,000 and $247,000 annually.

The union said that the pay has left their departments with a lack of attorneys with mid-level experience. According to the union, only 7% of their offices have attorneys who have between 11 and 15 years of experience.

According to the union, the last full contract between the county and the union expired in June of 2022, though the two sides have been operating with an addendum, which is a minor agreement covering some aspects, for some time.

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