SACRAMENTO, Calif.—About 500 state judicial employees have gained the right to form a union, under a law Gov. Jerry 
Brown signed Oct. 15. Service Employees International Union Local 1000, which represents 96,000 state workers, had pushed for the law, which gives administrative employees of the California Judicial Council the same collective-bargaining rights as regular state workers and trial-court employees. The council sets policies for California courts on issues ranging from effectiveness to dealing with foreign-language speakers, with most of its workers in San Francisco. “Today is a great day for Judicial Council employees,” Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker said. “Every day more workers are choosing to come together in a union. They know that together we have the power to negotiate better wages, benefits and retirement security.” Gov. Brown vetoed a similar bill last year.
