u/NoToRTOCa

Today is the first day of RTO. Please share your experiences for everyone to see (including photos). The good and the bad. Traffic, parking, transportation, light rail, insufficient office furniture/equipment, bathroom issues, safety concerns, etc. Feel free to share anything and everything.

I've analyzed the historical trends of state worker pay on my spare time. Today's rejection by the state of our economic welfare is part of a multi-decade pattern that will cost us dearly. We can't let this continue.

From 2020 to 2024, consumer prices in the western US rose 26.4%. Over the same period, the state approved raises equal to 13.7%. When a raise can't keep up with inflation, it's a pay cut. The state has systematically reduce our pay granting meager GSIs.

Just to catch up with inflation the largest classifications (Analyst I, Analyst II, and ITS I) need to make roughly $10,000/year extra.

The 12 largest classifications all lost ground. Their gap comes to approximately $478 million a year. Again, that's just to keep up with 2020 prices.

The pandemic really accelerated 40 years of losing ground.

Analyst I (SSA) salary has risen 303% since 1977, Analyst IIs have risen 122% since 1989. Those increase sound promising on paper until I measured against inflation.

The Analyst I of today is paid 34.6% less than they were in 1977. Analyst IIs make 20.5% less than in 1989.

State work used to be a pathway into the middle class, but the state has clawed that away one sub-inflation raise at a time.

I built a tool so that you can compare your wages to the historical rates for every BU. There are some imperfections in the data and it's probably janky on mobile, but I think it gives a decent picture of how much further we need to fight to get what we deserve.

Check it out: https://realwage.site/

What can we do? I hope that you'll go to the SEIU rally tomorrow at the Capitol. Being a member and participating in the actions for our contract is the baseline for getting something better.

People outside of state work often do not understand this issue and simply say, “Just go to work.” But when you really break it down, this is a red flag for everyone.

This is not just about state workers not wanting to be in an office. It is about leadership, power, and who is expected to carry the burden.

On July 1, the same day many state workers are being forced back into the office four days a week, California’s gas tax is also increasing. The state gasoline excise tax is going from 61.2 cents per gallon to 63.4 cents per gallon.

Some people may say, “That’s only a few cents.” But that is exactly the problem. It is never just one cost. It is the gas tax, gas itself, parking, food, childcare, clothing, vehicle wear and tear, commute time, and the stress of rearranging daily life, all while raises are delayed and the cost of living keeps climbing.

That is not shared sacrifice. That is shifting the burden downward.

Governor Newsom is using state workers as an economic tool. The message is basically: downtown Sacramento is struggling, businesses need foot traffic, commercial real estate needs bodies in buildings, so state workers will be forced to absorb the cost.

This is not just a workplace policy. This is a warning sign.

If this is how someone uses power over state workers, imagine how that same mindset could look on a national scale. When state workers become a tool to protect business interests, real estate interests, political optics, and economic talking points, that should concern everyone.
And when public officials or their families have major real estate interests tied to the same downtown areas being “revitalized,” the conflict-of-interest concerns are obvious. Even the appearance of state workers being forced back into offices to support private and political interests should be enough to raise serious questions.

People need to stop looking at this as a simple “go to work” issue. This is about how power is used, who benefits from it, and who is forced to pay for it.

State workers are not props. We are not a downtown stimulus package. We are not responsible for fixing Sacramento’s economy by sacrificing our time, income, health, and family life.

Before anyone supports him on a national level, they should look closely at how he treats state workers when he already has power.

Everyone should be paying attention.

Hello, r/CAStateWorkers

Try to do this by EOD Friday 6/26. However, afterward should be fine. Just need to ensure we stay ahead of committee deadlines.

As AB 1729, the state telework bill moves into Senate Appropriations, we are closing in on final arguments for the bill. Before moving into directions for the Appropriations committee, I want to note a couple of things:

1. 4 out of the 7 members of Appropriations (including the chair) have already voted in support of AB 1729.
2. What I have been told many times over is not to piss off Appropriations. Namely, sending a massive volume of phone calls pressuring the members directly.

Let's remind ourselves the purpose of the Appropriations committee. It is NOT a policy committee. Our bill has already been approved by relevant policy committees who evaluate it based on the merits of the office work/telework policy itself. Our bill was voted in support 17-1 between those policy committees it visited. It's doing great there. Appropriations is all about fiscal review. Its job is to assess whether the bill is worth the price - last committee cited the bill's price tag at $10M annually due to DGS overseeing the telework dashboard, etc. Our bill will likely be going into suspense again where it will be evaluated closely.

The plan.

We cannot necessarily speak to the cost of implementing AB 1729. However, we CAN speak to the cost of a world without AB 1729. I am going to encourage state workers who have knowledge and documentation of exemptions and/or workarounds from a 4-day RTO mandate to submit documentation of their agency's exemptions and workarounds through the bill's position letter portal. This documentation will help us share with the committee the anticipated costs of a blanket mandate. If we can document cleanly for the committee how agencies are using temporary or makeshift workarounds and help the committee anticipate some of the additional costs that would come ahead in the world of a blanket mandate... in the form of purchasing or leasing additional office space, facilities renovations, or equipment... I think we can make a clean argument for the bill that Appropriations will care about.

Why not just make phone calls?

As I mentioned earlier, phone calls may read as inappropriate political pressure, which won't work in our favor in Appropriations. This committee doesn't like that. Position letters will help us create a cleaner public narrative that doesn't rely on pulling attention from a bunch of staffers.

So what do we do?

1) Capture documentation of agencies using exemptions/workarounds. Redact names from the memos - the point of these memos is not to spotlight individuals but to document agency problems. Do not submit confidential, personnel, medical, bargaining strategy, security-sensitive, or legally protected information.

Examples include...

- Memos indicating exemption due to space needs

- Memos from agencies under the Governor indicating in-office schedules deviating from 4-days (e.g. rotating 3/2 schedules, 2 day schedules)

- Memos indicating relocation from your normal office to an alternate office location

- Emails indicating temporary workstations, delays in implementation beyond 7/1

- Emails with conflicting information from leadership e.g. "We have sufficient space" AND "We are working with facilities to evaluate and set up workspaces" in the same email

2) Open the Position Letter Template. As you review the document, delete red text and add in some of your own language. Ensure that you have summarized the workarounds/exemptions, provided a screenshot or image of your documentation, summarized the implications of your information (e.g. I believe my agency will be purchasing additional office space to meet this blanket mandate).

Before finalizing, be sure to delete any red text. Make your document look lovely.

When you have completed your position letter, download it as a PDF and save it on your device.

3) Log in or register an account with CA Position Letter portal. Once you have set up an account, follow the steps below:

- Type in under "Select Bill" - "AB1729"

- Leave session type as "Regular"

- Under Select Committee, select Senate Appropriations - NOT Assembly Appropriations

- Fill in the bubble for "Support"

- If sending in a PDF or Doc, select "Submit a letter instead"

- Click "Submit"

***

After doing all that or while you're completing that, be sure to open up the AB 1729 phone bank. I've updated it with records of how Senators have voted so far. I recommend you look up your own Senator, check whether they've voted yet, and either send them a "Thank you for supporting our bill" call or send them an encouragement/persuasion call.

I haven't completed talking points for all Senators yet, but it'll be ready in the next day or so.

Unless you are a constituent, DON'T call Appropriations members. We don't need to flood their lines. Focus on position letters. Call your own Senator.

Onward. Let's keep things moving.

It is very important to not go out to eat at lunch, considering we are only being brought back in to bring business to companies that will cash out in the election.

Try to bring your lunch if possible.

Hello, r/CAStateWorkers

We had some great news last week as the state telework bill, AB 1729, passed in the Assembly with 67 ayes, 7 nos, and 6 absent votes. Bipartisan support for the bill was clear and evident and the bill just might have some legs as it moves ahead.

I wanted to make sure people had some familiarity for the road the bill may take as it moves through the Senate so that we can prepare a bit. I also want to include some information on how we should sharpen up our talking points as we move into the Senate and end with a call to action for this week (especially for those of you who live outside Sacramento).

So let's get to work and learn a bit...

A probable road for AB 1729.

It wouldn't be unexpected for the bill to follow a parallel path that it followed in the Assembly over in the Senate now. It is currently in a Rules committee where it will be moved to a policy committee, likely the Public Employment Committee.

The Public Employment Committee has some members that we can get in touch with, I imagine. The committee chair, Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, has a strong labor background and has even worked on some projects to convert unused state buildings into housing in her district in LA. Tony Strickland has worked a lot on government organizational committees, fiscal accountability, and transparency on costs from CalHR and DGS (sounds familiar?). Maria Elena Durazo has a strong labor movement background and has worked on modernization bills for teleconferencing and cares deeply about issues impacting women (may be a place where we have to persuade a bit depending on if she sees telework right now as a pro or a con for the careers of women - we've heard both takes). John Laird is heavily involved in the CA budget and really cares about reducing long term costs that are unnecessary. And finally, Dave Cortese is a member of the disability caucus and cares a lot about issues affecting workplace flexibility. He is also very passionate about government transparency and when I last spoke to his office, they were especially interested in learning about the demise of the telework dashboard. Based on the committee website, we can expect for a hearing to come up on the bill on Wednesday June 10th, at 9:30 AM. They meet on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. We'll just have to keep an eye on their agendas.

If the bill makes it through committee, it will likely end up in Appropriations next and - if we clear that - full Senate vote.

Sharpening up for the Senate

The Senate represents a new challenge for our bill. Many members in the Senate are more senior than those members in the Assembly. They may want to hear more about the finer details of the bill and its implementation. There may be some Senators who are interested in hearing how the bill impacts state workers, but a stronger point moving ahead may be sharing how the bill impacts state government and California taxpayers. Some of the talking points I will likely flag in upcoming phone banks may include a couple of details to help us sharpen our message:

1. AB 1729 does not mandate any number of telework or office days. We heard this in the Assembly. Members claiming the bill lets everyone just telework full time. That's not what the bill says. We need to preempt that reaction better.

2. Here's the summary I use for myself when explaining AB 1729 to members. I tell them AB 1729 recognizes that both the office and telework are tools. AB 1729 compels agencies to use both tools thoughtfully and not rely on sweeping mandates. It's a modernization bill that embraces technology to improve state services and accountability while preserving a more thoughtful use of office space for agencies.

I'm sure Senators will still want to hear about some of the ways this bill impacts caregivers, working families, commute times, costs, affordability, etc., but I think we should be aware that the bill doesn't seem readily understandable for some members. We may have to explain it a bit at times.

Call to action for this week - get in touch with your own Senator and encourage them to get eyes on the bill.

Right now, we're not in a position to feverishly and desperately implore Senators to support our bill if they're not on a relevant committee. The bill is going to take time and may not touch your Senator for a vote for a while. However, Senators talk with one another and early positioning matters. Here's what I recommend you do....

1. Find your Senator using this site

2. Follow links to their website - check if they are in Public Employment Committee, Appropriations, or a leadership role in the Senate. Learn a bit about the issues they care about by poking around the Biography section, legislation section, press releases, or even committees they belong to.

3. Call them. Encourage them and their staff to begin reviewing the bill and consider supporting it as it moves through the Senate. Don't push it as a "DO THIS NOW OR I WON'T VOTE FOR YOU" desperation call. I think we should aim for staffers and Senators to think to themselves "Wow, those callers sure sounded really informed, nice, and thoughtful. I'm glad I got to talk to them instead of a nutball constituent. We're going to take a look at that bill for sure." You could say something like this...

"Hi there, my name is _______ and I'm a state worker and constituent. I'm calling to ask Senator _____ and staff to check out AB 1729, the state telework bill that is just moving through the Senate. The bill is important to a lot of state workers but it's also about responsible use of public resources, transparency, recruitment, and retention. It compels departments to use both office work and telework thoughtfully as tools for better governance and better services. Do you think your team could take a look at the bill?"

Right now, there is no need to rush and clog up phone lines. I would say for now - if you do not live in the Sacramento area (where lots of calls will surely be occurring down the road), this is especially important. Consider making a call sometime this week if you feel up to it. We will learn more about the bill soon.

Just did some quick updates on the website: https://notorto.org

Any suggestions? Any comments? Thanks!

Hope to see ya on May 21st at the CalEPA building to say HELL NO RTO ✊️ I'll be passing out stickers