The single-day strike comes just two weeks after the union representing the court clerks voted to authorize the strike. In that time, union negotiators still haven't been able to reach a deal with court management, saying they have refused to negotiate in good faith.
The union representing the court clerks says staffing, technology and training issues are leading to a backlog in the courts, delaying both civil and criminal cases. This has caused more than 70 misdemeanor cases to be thrown out.
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Because of the staffing shortage, they say defendants are sitting in jail longer than they should have to, and victims and their families are waiting longer than they should have to for their day in court.
"We're just doing this for one day and then going back to the table tomorrow, and to let management know, 'Hey, we did this once, but next time it might not be a one day strike," Clerk Ben Thompson told ABC7 News.
The strike is happening as the high-profile Nima Momeni trial for the death of Cash App founder Bob Lee is in its second week. The San Francisco Superior Courthouse handles both criminal and civil divisions.
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The union believes the one-day strike could halt trials and delaying hearings Thursday on everything from felonies to traffic violations, proceedings for divorces, and child custody cases.
"I suspect things are going to be fairly chaotic, and while this is a short strike, we hope that this is a proverbial kick in the pants to really get management to come and bargain in good faith, which we don't feel they've been doing," Thompson said.
ABC7 News has reached out to courthouse officials to see what the impact of the strike will be, and if anything has been canceled for Thursday.