Gov. Newsom’s return-to-office order is here, but only for a few state workers
The long-awaited first day of California’s return-to-office order is here — but only for a handful of state workers.
In the month after Gov. Gavin Newsom called labor groups representing public employees back to the bargaining table, unions announced deals in which their members could continue working primarily from home for one more year to help California reduce its payroll cost.
For labor groups that secured the telework extension, it was a major win for members who resented the governor’s demand that workers come into state offices four days a week.
As of Tuesday, the July 1 deadline has been delayed one year for “nearly all” state workers who fall under the jurisdiction of Newsom’s return-to-office order, the California Department of Human Resources told The Bee. Just under half of California’s workforce are eligible to work remotely, according to CalHR.
Furthermore, the delay has been extended to managers and supervisors who are related, but not directly represented, by bargaining units that secured a telework extension, CalHR said.
For public employees not covered by a new bargaining unit contract, “state departments and agencies are moving forward to meet the July 1 deadline by bringing eligible employees back 4 days in office,” Camille Travis, a CalHR spokesperson, said in a statement.
Travis said the department is still in negotiations with three bargaining units, but declined to comment on which of the state’s 21 bargaining units has yet to reach a deal with CalHR.
Coerced concessions
One of those unions, the California Association of Professional Scientists, said the bargaining team has declined CalHR’s requests to reopen the contract, which members overwhelmingly ratified last year, after spending years negotiating with the state.
“The Newsom Administration has continued to pressure CAPS-UAW to reopen our contract, making clear through multiple union agreements that (return-to-office) delays are on the table for state employees that agreed to bargain over the budget,” Jacqueline Tkac, the president of the state scientists union, said in a statement.
Tkac said Newsom is using the return-to-office directive as a bargaining chip.
“We believe that this decision to delay RTO for some state employees and not others is an attempt to undermine our MOU, and coerce us into taking concessions,” she said. “We have upheld our side of the agreement, and we expect the State to do the same.”
A representative for the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, which represents roughly 1,500 medical professionals, said its employees are subject to the four-day, in-office order.
‘What changed the outcome’
For other labor groups, Tuesday marks a much different reality than the working conditions state workers were facing a month ago.
In May, there were few signs that Newsom would cede ground on his return-to-office order, and he was proposing salary freezes to help California address a $12 billion deficit.
In response, state workers and their unions maintained a pressure campaign to urge Newsom to reconsider both the return-to-office order and pausing pay raises.
When lawmakers held hearings on the return-to-office order, where department leaders repeatedly told legislators that they did not know how much the transition back to in-person work would cost the state, dozens of public employees testified against the measure. Last month, a group of public employees, not affiliated with a union, paid to put up several billboards criticizing Newsom over the policy.
State workers and their unions protested outside the Capitol and department headquarters in months after Newsom announced the policy change.
Union officials attributed Newsom’s reversal, in part, to these public actions.
“That kind of collective action is hard to ignore,” SEIU Local 1000 President Anica Walls said in a statement. “The State may have forced us back to the table, but the power of a united SEIU Local 1000 is what changed the outcome.”
According to SEIU Local 1000, roughly a third of the union’s nearly 100,000 employees are eligible to telework.
“By hitting pause on the RTO order and reverting to telework agreements that were in place before March 2,” Walls said, “we created stability and breathing room for thousands of public servants across California.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
