3 more California unions strike deals to end state worker pay cuts, restore wages

California will lift pandemic-era pay cuts for state engineers, psychiatric technicians, and health and social services professionals under three new contract agreements reached this month.

Like most of the rest of the state workforce, the more than 25,000 employees represented in the three contracts took a 9.23% pay cut last July, when Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration projected a $54 billion budget deficit that did not materialize.

But now, with most pandemic restrictions lifted and a budget surplus of $76 billion in the state coffers, Newsom’s administration has been negotiating agreements to restore state workers’ pay. The state will also eliminate the two days of leave per month employees were forced to take while the cuts were in effect.

California will also resume a paycheck withholding program to fund healthcare used in retirement, which was suspended last year to reduce the impact of the pay cuts under the pandemic.

The agreements for California Association of Psychiatric Technicians, or CAPT, and the Professional Engineers in California Government, PECG, call for 5.58% raises for their employees that will go into effect July 1.

Those are raises the unions previously negotiated, along with a little extra money to account for pay they missed on when the state suspended wage increases that were supposed to take effect a year ago.

The raise for CAPT employees includes a 2.75% general salary increase that was originally scheduled for 2020, and an additional 2.75% scheduled for 2021.

PECG-represented employees’ raise includes a 3% general salary increase that was moved up from its originally scheduled date of July 2022, and a new 2.5% increase.

Ted Toppin, executive director for PECG, said state engineers were understanding of the state’s financial situation last year, but are looking forward to fuller paychecks.

“Nobody likes to take a pay cut, that’s for sure,” he said. “But state engineers.... they sort of understood it and made the best of it. Now it’s time to undo it.”

A side letter agreement reached this month for health and social services workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME ends the pay cuts, but does not include new raises.

AFSCME’s contract expired in July 2020 during the pandemic. Raises presumably would be up to bargaining for a new contract.