California’s largest state worker union delays return-to-office order
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- SEIU Local 1000 secured a one-year pause to Newsom's return-to-office order.
- Union deal includes a 3% raise offset by a leave program that includes pay reduction.
- SEIU Local 1000's agreement mirrors other union deals to help reduce payroll costs.
California’s largest public sector union secured a one-year pause to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s return-to-office order just days before state workers are expected to begin working in person four days a week.
The pause to the unpopular telework policy followed announcements by other unions that the administration agreed to push back the deadline until July 2026 as part of broader labor negotiations with the state to reduce California’s compensation costs during a tight budget year.
In an agreement announced Sunday, SEIU Local 1000 signed off on several budget-saving measures that mirrored other units’ tentative agreements, including a 3% pay raise this year, which will be offset by a leave program that reduces workers’ salaries by the same amount.
“When they canceled our negotiated raise, SEIU Local 1000 pushed back,” the union wrote in an email to employees reviewed by The Sacramento Bee. “Through tough negotiations, we secured an agreement that defends what we won and limits the impact on workers.”
SEIU Local 1000 represents nearly 100,000 state workers across several bargaining units, though many of those employees are not able to telework due to their job requirements.
In March, Newsom announced that public employees under his jurisdiction would be required to work from state offices four days a week on July 1 to improve opportunities to collaborate and mentor newer employees.
The move, which the governor made without warning public sector unions, angered state workers, prompting a months-long campaign to push back against the policy change. SEIU Local 1000 and other unions filed legal challenges to the mandate, groups held regular protests against the measure and state workers crowdsourced tens of thousands of dollars to erect anti-Newsom billboards around Sacramento.
In the agreement reached with the state, SEIU Local 1000 said it additionally secured employees a second 3% general salary increase, which will be deferred until 2027.
The union also announced that employee contributions to a retirement health benefit will be paused for two years. A provision that will look like a salary bump on workers paychecks that was included in other units initial agreements.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office recently warned that pausing some retirement contributions and the leave program will increase California’s future liabilities.
While several unions, including the largest, have paused Newsom’s return-to-office mandate for their employees, the administration has not indicated whether the policy change would be delayed for other bargaining units.
Previously, the California Department of Human Resources has stated that negotiations between each bargaining unit are separate. CalHR is at the bargaining table with several bargaining units as the state attempts to save $800 million by reducing employees compensation costs.
This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 8:16 AM.
