The strike will last for three days.
Union members expect many departments to completely shut down because of it, but county officials plan on keeping things up and running.
Health services, food stamps, welfare, child support, libraries, and administrative offices: All of it could be severely impacted if SEIU Local 521 follows through with plans for a strike.
Health clinics have already cancelled appointments for early next week, and nurses say they plan on standing with Local 521 for the duration of the strike.
SEIU expects over 4,000 employees will walk out because of a 9% pay cut imposed by the county.
Kevin Westbrook, SEIU Local 521: "This union, as long as I've been a member, has always been willing to help out the county, no matter what it comes."
But members say they do deserve a fair deal. They say they're not getting one, and that's why they're walking out.
It means duties will be spread thin, but the county's administrative office says that operations will continue.
C.A.O. John Navarrette: "When you have less people doing the work, you're going to have an impact, and you just have to adapt and adjust and maintain the highest level of public service you can."
Navarrette says the strike days will count as furlough, and would actually save the county up to $750,000 a day.
But supervisor Henry Perea says it's possible certain departments would shut down. He says that depends on exactly how many workers walk out.
Perea: "Those employees are spread out everywhere. Every administrative office you can think of. The county clerk, the coroner, the jail, juvenile hall."
The county's administrative office says if correctional officers walk out on the jail, or juvenile hall, it's possible that deputies would fill in.
Union members say it's likely the county would seek an injunction to prevent correctional officers from walking out. But they say, they're unified with the rest of Local 521.
Westbrook: "We're shareholders in this. We're not only taxpayers, but we're also employees. So you know what? As we go one, we go all."
Union members say if they county were to call them right now, and ask them back to the negotiating table, they could avoid the strike.
The county says the same thing.
But as it stands, starting at 6am Monday, employees will strike.
Employees had been hoping for an injunction to be filed by the Public Employee Relations Board to stop the 9% pay cut. Instead, a complaint was filed yesterday against Fresno county citing unfair labor practices.
The county denies it negotiated with bargaining units in bad faith.
TXT 24
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