In light of all this RTO stuff, we're in the middle of voting for a new insurance commissioner. There are a number of us across multiple BUs who are going to be affected by whoever gets elected. CDI is small but significant.
Anyone know who is the best option? The field is pretty darn crowded. I understand CA has a lot of insurance issues to address, but ideally we can pick someone who is also WFH friendly.
Any insight is helpful ty.
SEIU1000 sent the following email this morning with this link that makes it incredibly easy to let our legislators know we'd appreciate a YES vote on AB 1729.
You do not have to be a member to complete the form. It sent an automated email to my assembly member. You can add a more personal message too. Please consider completing the form.
We Won This Round. The Fight for Telework Isn't Over.
On Thursday, May 14th, we won this round. The Assembly Appropriations Committee — one of the toughest committees in the Assembly — voted to advance AB 1729 to the full Assembly floor for a vote. That's a big deal, and it happened because of you.
AB 1729 would require state departments to be transparent about their telework policies — no more arbitrary, behind-closed-doors decisions forcing workers back to the office without justification or accountability.
We got through this round because of you. Now it's time to win the next one.
Before the Assembly floor vote, your Assemblymember needs to hear from you directly. Tell them what telework means for you as a worker — your commute, your family, your health — AND how it helps you serve your constituents better. State workers who telework are more productive, more responsive, and better equipped to deliver the services Californians depend on. That's a message every legislator needs to hear. Click the button below to fill out our quick form and we'll deliver this message straight to them.
Tell Your Legislator: Vote YES on AB 1729
After the Assembly floor, this bill moves to the Senate — and every strong vote we rack up along the way builds our position for the rounds ahead. We keep showing up. We keep fighting. That's how we win.
In Solidarity,
SEIU Local 1000
Someone else shared this on the Reddit.
Elevating this so you can all get enraged and take actions like this SEIU event TOMORROW:
https://secure.ngpvan.com/-D8R4Nu_rUGZq_hnWXKh-w2
Also, spread the word via comments on Newsom’s social media and his media appearances that Newsom is anti-worker and anti-union.
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Dear Cabinet Secretaries –
As promised this morning, I write to remind everyone of Executive Order N-22-25, which requires all departments to bring state employees back to the office for a minimum of 4 in-person days per week. As you all know, CalHR last year negotiated agreements with the unions to delay the implementation of the Executive Order until July 1, 2026. Cabinet Secretaries should take all necessary steps to implement the Executive Order, effective July 1, 2026, with an expectation of working in the office or in the field 4 days per week.
In implementing the Executive Order, agencies and departments should be well underway with their plans to address office space needs and other work-related conditions as we return all telework-eligible employees to the office 4 days per week. As you evaluate your current operations, including space needs, be thoughtful in your transition and use a structured and equitable approach. Individual departments will approach this transition in different ways depending upon what works best and what makes the most sense for your organization and its operations. We all, however, should move to a hybrid schedule that involves telework no more than one day each week.
Ninety-eight percent of departments have sufficient space for all employees to return to the office 4 days per week. We recognize that some departments do have real space constraints that will preclude every covered employee from returning to the office 4 days each week on July 1. However, we understand this space shortage to affect fewer than 2% of state employees, when incorporating the following guidance. We will address those constraints individually.
In the interim, departments with ongoing space needs should make sure that all existing space is filled on July 1. Not having sufficient space for all employees to be in the office at least 4 days will not excuse or delay a return to office to the maximum extent feasible. Importantly, all available workstations must be filled at least four days per week.
For those departments without sufficient space, continue working with the Department of General Services (DGS) to address space needs. We encourage agencies and departments to consider that not every office visit needs a large workstation and to be efficient with space use. Consider the options listed below as a guide and note that this is not an exhaustive list. These approaches should be considered temporary until adequate space is secured:
Strategically expand space availability. Are there ways to add desks or augment workstations to make better use of existing office space to maximize the use of existing resources? Confirm actual constraints. For July 1, 2026, focus on the number of state employees, less vacancies and exemptions. Prioritize space for state employees first. At this stage, vacancies should not be factored into space needs. Assuming the office space is used as extensively as possible, how many employees eligible for the 4-day return to office would not have a workstation? Consider, for example: How many employees are eligible for one of the exemptions listed in the CalHR exception guidance? Consider if a dedicated space is needed for individuals where their work is at an alternate work location. For example, auditors and field staff may only need meeting rooms or quiet rooms for a short stay to complete the remainder of their day if otherwise required to work off site. View office space from a portfolio, not specific location, perspective. If one office building has an excess of workstations and another in the same geographic area has too few, restack space within your portfolio to maximize the number of workstations utilized. Understand that the SAM guidelines related to space are maximums, not minimums, and are not entitlements. Generally, employees who might be allowed to have a private office in the guidelines (ex: upper management) are not required to be in an office. Utilize the space types you have instead of focusing on configurations/setups that go beyond requirements. DGS has identified additional office space available in Sacramento. Departments with insufficient space should work with DGS to explore these alternative spaces. Reach out to state departments in the same building, city, and/or region to see if they have excess space that your employees could occupy. If, after assessing space availability and actual need, departments remain short on workstations, departments should prioritize keeping teams together to facilitate collaboration when determining how to allocate available space. Solutions should be intentional, fact-based, based on objective criteria, and applied consistently. A rotational program where employees work in the office fewer than four days per week is not an appropriate solution.
Agencies and departments should work with their labor relations offices for communications to employee representatives. CalHR has issued statewide guidance on exceptions to this directive, and questions about guidance may be directed to LR.Info@calhr.ca.gov. Questions about space should be directed to DGS at DGSRTOInquiry@dgs.ca.gov. As more information becomes available, we will keep you informed and update this guidance. Transitioning to a 4-day-per-week hybrid structure allows greater collaboration and cohesion across our teams and enhances our ability to serve all Californians effectively.
Thank you very much for your collaboration on this Administration priority. (and FYI – CalHR will soon be reaching out to your Departments to help coordinate the next steps)
One of the more frustrating aspects of RTO is the disingenuousness of it. CalHR and DGS were unable to provide any numbers on fiscal impact last year when they were being hammered in the hearings. They refuse to treat fiscal impact as a real concern, because, frankly, they can’t. If they put real, honest $ figures on it, it will sink it as a winning political issue for the governor with the public.
I’m wondering about another vector of attack. Is there a way to lobby LAO to insist they need real numbers for the cost of implementation of this major policy change before they can, in turn, provide advice to the legislature on budget proposals for the new fiscal year?
I’m certain the last several years of budgets didn’t ignore the savings from telework when they were trying desperately to balance the budget. So current budget models contemplate the new reduced cost as the baseline. RTO is a NEW, and unquestionably expensive cost.
This isn’t a bill, but for anyone here who has worked on bill analyses for their departments, imagine refusing to provide a fiscal impact section… on a bill that would undoubtedly cost 10s of millions to implement… and just expecting to get sign offs up the chain. It wouldn’t happen. Why is this different?
Just got this email from the union. Glad they’re fighting.
Return-to-Office (RTO) Mandate Update
SEIU Local 1000 Files Unfair Labor Practice Charge with PERB
Last year, Governor Newsom issued a blanket Return-to-Office (RTO) mandate that requires state workers who telework to return to the office at least 4 days a week. This mandate ignores the state’s own data showing that telework reduces traffic, lowers the environmental impact of daily commutes, saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, and allows state workers to continue effectively delivering services to Californians. At a time when California is facing major economic and public service challenges, it is unclear why the Governor is so focused on enforcing a policy that has proven to save taxpayer dollars and modernize how state government operates.
Since the Governor released this mandate, SEIU Local 1000 has continued fighting for Telework that Works, for workers, employers, and taxpayers alike. Our position has remained clear: telework decisions should be based on operational need and the actual work being performed, not an arbitrary, one-size-fits-all approach.
We received notice that the Governor’s Office sent departments a Return-to-Office memo today, directing them to begin preparing for implementation of the July 1stRTO mandate for state workers. As the state continues refusing to budge on this issue and failing to bargain in good faith, SEIU Local 1000 is filing an Unfair Labor Practice Charge with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB).
This fight is far from over. SEIU Local 1000 will continue fighting for telework protections through bargaining, legislation, and statewide member organizing efforts. We also encourage members to email their department directors and urge them not to implement the RTO mandate.
Show your solidarity with us tomorrow, May 13 by joining our solidarity actions across the state and sending a message that we are organized, powerful, and ready to fight for what we deserve.
Does anybody actually know if the Board added a 16th Board Member or did a Board member leave? CASE website is so great that when you click some of the Board member bios, the old Board members names come up with nothing there.
Let's see who can come up with a fact driven counter argument that doesn’t revolve around my identity or state how this post is unfairly harsh.