When is Juneteenth? Do California state workers get a day off? Here’s what the law says
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, became aware of their freedom, two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed June 15 as “Juneteenth National Freedom Day: A Day of Observance.”
“California is proud to recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday, honoring the centuries of struggles and triumphs that have brought us to this moment,” Newsom said in a news release.
Does this mean state workers get Juneteenth off as a paid vacation day?
Our journalists with How To California — a new community-driven series to help readers navigate life in the Golden State — set out to find the answer.
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Do California state workers get Juneteenth off?
Despite President Joe Biden signing a bill that made Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021, it remains an unpaid state holiday for California state employees.
The labor union for state employees, SEIU Local 1000, has been fighting to make Juneteenth a state paid holiday.
Irene Green, SEIU Local 1000 vice president of bargaining and chief negotiator, told The Sacramento Bee last year that the union was in contract negotiations with the state.
Green said making Juneteenth a recognized holiday is among the union’s issues.
“As part of this negotiation process where we bargain on working conditions, pay, and health and welfare, I have submitted a proposal ...to the state making Juneteenth a state paid holiday without state workers having to request the day and use leave credits,” Green said.
Newsom officially recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday in 2022, giving state workers the option to take the day off in lieu of a personal day, meaning state employees are scheduled to work on Juneteenth unless they choose to use their accrued leave to observe the holiday.
As part of a statewide effort to encourage California cities to recognize Juneteenth as an official public holiday, the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation-California aims to expand the celebration of this federal holiday across all 58 counties.
“Juneteenth is not just a Black-only holiday. This is a federal holiday,” Michael Harris, a member of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation-California, previously told The Bee. “To have a law that’s quasi-optional makes no sense. This is the only federal holiday that’s treated this way.”
As of Monday, June 17, Juneteenth is still not recognized as a mandatory paid state holiday for state workers.
Which California employees get Juneteenth off?
Though Juneteenth is a recognized federal and state holiday, California law does not require employers to give days off for Juneteenth.
However, private employers can choose to observe the holiday, CalChamber Alert reported.
California law does not require employers to provide employees with paid days off for holidays or to give “holiday pay” for working on holidays.
It is entirely up to California employers to decide whether to offer their employees a paid or unpaid holiday for Juneteenth or any other holiday.
