Latest news with #SEIULocal1000
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How will Gavin Newsom's return-to-office order affect California state telework stipends?
While there are still many questions lingering about how California will bring its workforce back to primarily in-person work in the coming months, the impact on state workers' telework stipend is clearly defined. After California directed its public employees to work from home to limit the spread of COVID-19, the state paid those public servants stipends beginning October 2021 to help cover expenses workers needed to do their jobs remotely, such as the internet. The stipend applies to all departments and all employee classifications as long as they work remotely for some part of the week. Those who work primarily from home, known as 'remote-centered,' receive $50 a month. Those primarily in state building, 'office-centered,' get $25 a month. With Gov. Gavin Newsom directing departments to increase the number of days state workers are expected to be in offices — from two to four — public employees can expect a change to their telework stipends. Sign up here to get our weekly newsletter for California employees. As it stands, state workers receiving $50 a month to work primarily from home will see that payment cut in half come July, when the governor's return-to-office directive takes effect. Those already working at least three days from state buildings will continue to receive $25 a month as long as they work remotely part of the week. The California Department of Human Resources said individual departments determine which employees are eligible for the stipend based on the telework agreements. CalHR said the pay differential that outlines the stipend already considers changes to departments' hybrid work policies, like the transition from two days to four days in office. The state stands to save millions of dollars in paying only half of the 'remote-centered' telework stipend. In January, California paid $5.2 million in telework stipends to its employees. Of the 115,000 employees who received those payments, 81% receive the full $50 payment. If the state paid the same number of employees in January the $25 payment, instead of the 'remote-centered' stipend, the state would have saved $2.3 million. But whatever the amount saved by paying a smaller stipend, it would only be a fraction of the state's payroll expenses. In 2023, California paid over $22 billion in total wages to state employees. Unions representing state employees are hoping to leverage this coming reduction to workers' paychecks to block Newsom's return-to-office mandate. In challenges filed with the state's labor relations board, SEIU Local 1000 and Professional Engineers in California Government claimed that forcing workers back to offices four days a week violated the the Ralph C. Dills Act, which outlines labor regulations between the state and public employees. The unions argue that the governor's order will effectively shift telework employees from 'remote-centered' to 'office-centered.' By making this change, which is subject to negotiation, the union said Newsom infringed on workers' rights. 'The Governor imposed this order unilaterally, without negotiation, without consideration for its impact on state workers, and without following the law,' Anica Walls, president of SEIU Local 1000, said in a statement announcing the union's challenge last week. 'We're demanding that (the Public Employment Relations Board) rescind this illegal order immediately and return decision-making on telework and return-to-office policies back to individual departments, where it belongs.'
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SEIU files legal actions to challenge exective order to return to office in California
( — California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on March 3 directing state workers to return to office four days a week by above: Community reacts to orders for California workers to return to office The president of SEIU Local 1000 Anica Walls is part of the group who opposed this executive order. She said, 'Governor Newsom's decision to force state workers back into the office four days a week is out of touch, unnecessary, and a step backward. State employees kept this state running through the pandemic, proving that remote and hybrid work increase productivity, improve work-life balance, and make state jobs more competitive – all while saving taxpayer dollars.' Governor Newsom orders California state workers to return to office On March 5, SEIU filed an Unfair Practice Charge with the Public Employment Relations Board standing together with Professional Engineers in California Government workers as they legal action against the executive order on employees going back to in-person. According to the SEIU website, this filing is a direct challenge to an unlawful mandate that violated members of their rights under the Dills Act. The Ralph C. Dills Act The act grants state employees the right to belong to organizations that serve as their exclusive representatives in contractual negotiations over wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. Legislative Analys Office Collective Bargaining SEIU said in a statement that they are demanding PERB to rescind the order immediately and to return the decision-making on telework and return-to-work policies to the departments. On March 12, workers from across the state will be protesting in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Francisco. Communications Director with SEIU Local 1000, Amber Rich, said, 'We're not alone – other unions are standing with us because this affects all state workers. We fought hard for telework options, and we won't let them be taken away without a fight.' The protest is set to start at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday in front of the State of California Human Resources office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newsom orders state workers to return to the office 4 days a week in California
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Monday directing state workers to return to the office four days per week, shifting California government away from a post-pandemic model that allows roughly 95,000 government employees to clock in remotely for most of the week. The change, which is expected to take effect July 1, comes after President Trump called many federal government workers back to the office last month and as corporations continue to retract remote work options. 'In-person work makes us all stronger — period," Newsom said in a statement. "When we work together, collaboration improves, innovation thrives, and accountability increases. That means better service, better solutions, and better results for Californians, while still allowing flexibility.' California has more than 220,000 full-time state employees and about 60% work in positions, as janitors and highway patrol officers for example, that already require them to report in-person daily. The policy change is expected to apply to about 40% of the workforce who are currently required to report to an office at least two days per week. Newsom's order does not apply to workers who were hired under agreements to exclusively work from home. The move could place the Democratic governor at odds with powerful public sector labor unions, who represent state workers in California. Newsom has gradually adjusted his return to the office work policy since concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and government imposed restrictions subsided. The governor originally advised agencies and departments to set their own policies before his administration mandated that workers report in-person at least two days per week last summer. SEIU Local 1000, the largest public sector union in the country, has resisted sweeping return to the office mandates and argued last year that any policy changes from departments and agencies must be collectively bargained. Labor unions have also disputed the contention that requiring people to commute to work again increases productivity. The societal shift back to in-person work has been embraced by local officials, who blame remote work policies for the degradation of downtown districts that have experienced restaurant and business closures due to a shortage of patrons. Sacramento County has nearly 90,000 state workers and the most in California, followed by Los Angeles County with 20,000, according to data from the State Controller's Office. Newsom's order also calls for the state to "streamline the hiring process for former federal employees seeking employment" to fill vacant state disaster response and emergency roles, including in firefighting, forest management, and weather forecasting. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
03-03-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
The IGS Poll does typically provide the Times its own written analysis of the findings from our statewide polls. But we have not prepared such reports when reporting on the results of the local polls we have done for the Times. This was also clearly stated in our MOU.In my opinion, the cross-tabs are where many of the storylines become most interesting, especially with regard to the impact that the fires have had on the public. And, there is much there for your reporters to delve into. I will certainly make myself available to them when they begin their review of the tabs.Understandably the most striking findings are the huge differences in the opinions of voters living in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones to the rest of the county on most of the poll's measures about the impact of the fire. But these differences also extend in their evaluations of some of the local leaders and groups in their response to the fires.But the poll also finds that fire's impacts were also more broadly felt by significant numbers of residents living outside the fire zone area, including employed voters, especially those working in the building trades and construction and in education and the arts. In addition, high levels of stress and concerns about the impact of the wildfire smoke on the physical health of residents are being reported by significant proportions.Mayor Bass comes across poorly in the eyes of most LA voters in both her respose to the wildfires and in voters' confidence in her leadership moving forward. Reactions to Newsom are more mixed and are largely partisan based.The views of voters toward the various policy proposals aimed at reducing the dangers of wildfires in the future are quite newsworthy, with large majorities endorsing new fire-resistant standards on new construction, greater funding for fire departments, and imposing greater restrictions on building homes in high fire risk areas.Let me know when I can expect to be receiving their calls.Mark
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Monday directing state workers to return to the office four days per week, shifting California government away from a post-pandemic model that allows roughly 95,000 government employees to clock in remotely for most of the week. The change, which is expected to take effect July 1, comes after President Trump called many federal government workers back to the office last month and as corporations continue to retract remote work options. 'In-person work makes us all stronger — period,' Newsom said in a statement. 'When we work together, collaboration improves, innovation thrives, and accountability increases. That means better service, better solutions, and better results for Californians, while still allowing flexibility.' California has more than 220,000 full-time state employees and about 60% work in positions, as janitors and highway patrol officers for example, that already require them to report in-person daily. The policy change is expected to apply to about 40% of the workforce who are currently required to report to an office at least two days per week. Newsom's order does not apply to workers who were hired under agreements to exclusively work from home. The move could place the Democratic governor at odds with powerful public sector labor unions, who represent state workers in California. Newsom has gradually adjusted his return to the office work policy since concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and government imposed restrictions subsided. The governor originally advised agencies and departments to set their own policies before his administration mandated that workers report in-person at least two days per week last summer. SEIU Local 1000, the largest public sector union in the country, has resisted sweeping return to the office mandates and argued last year that any policy changes from departments and agencies must be collectively bargained. Labor unions have also disputed the contention that requiring people to commute to work again increases productivity. The societal shift back to in-person work has been embraced by local officials, who blame remote work policies for the degradation of downtown districts that have experienced restaurant and business closures due to a shortage of patrons. Sacramento County has nearly 90,000 state workers and the most in California, followed by Los Angeles County with 20,000, according to data from the State Controller's Office. Newsom's order also calls for the state to 'streamline the hiring process for former federal employees seeking employment' to fill vacant state disaster response and emergency roles, including in firefighting, forest management, and weather forecasting. Newsom's request follows the Trump administration's recent actions to cut the federal workforce.
