Thousands of CoCo County workers walk off job

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Picket lines gained steam in Contra Costa County this morning as thousands of government workers walked off the job for a 24-hour strike over pay and benefits.

Among those on strike are librarians, road crews, nursing assistants, engineers, public defenders, secretaries, social workers, mechanics and animal services workers.

The one-day strike is scheduled to end at 11 p.m.

County and union representatives met late into Monday night trying to hammer out a new contract deal to avoid the walkout.

"We were not able to reach agreement,'' John Cullen, county administrator, said this morning.

How are people supposed to rely on government workers when they are on strike? I'll bet you don't get the benefits they do if you work in the private sector.