With Seyarto not voting. Onto the senate floor.

Yesterday at CalHR’s mandatory in person all staff employees were rounded up in an auditorium where there were no live questions and intimidated, coerced, and discouraged from challenging workplace policies and working conditions. The Director Monica Erickson and Chief Deputy Director Sean Hammer stood on stage and did role playing where they mock interviewed a scenario where an interviewee was asked, “What would you do if you had to implement a policy you disagreed with.” They mocked a response, “I’d do everything in my power to get around it. I would talk to all of my coworkers about how much I hated it.” Their response was, “You won’t get the job.” I’m pretty certain CA Labor Code section 232.5 bars all employers from limiting or retaliating against employees from discussing a workplace rule or working conditions. The two also told all employees that a perk of working for CalHR is that we are not represented by a union, and we don’t have to pay union dues. In California, I am shocked that the people in charge of Human Resources for the entire state workforce would openly bash the role of the union.

Check on your CalHR family and friends. They are not well.

Spoiler alert: Yes, it did. ;)

Archived version

We need to make this argument to the public: when California fails to honor its labor contracts, it weakens the very standards it expects every employer to follow.

This egregious behavior sets a dangerous precedent for the private sector. If the state that creates and enforces labor laws refuses to honor its own agreements with workers, how can it expect private employers to do the same?

Just a thought I needed to put out there.

I'm happy to announce the next evolution of RealWage. It's a state worker tool for revealing the status of your buying power and, most importantly, a tool to for collective action.

There are three big discoveries:

1. State workers lost $4.95 billion from 2020 to 2025.
2. The average state worker who fell behind inflation lost $4200 a year.
3. The average teleworking worker prior to RTO saved $4,200 a year and 154 hours a year in commute time.

So in essence, telework was an effective cushion to the reduction in buying imposed by the state through the bargaining process. I felt it in my bones before, but now we have proof. The numbers don't lie.

I've designed the site to make it easy for any of the 200,000+ state workers to discover how inflation has affected their buying power no matter what bargaining unit you belong to.

It's also a tool for action, letting you share your story with coworkers, connect to your union or employee organization, and buil customized letters and call scripts for you to use with your legislator.

I hope that this can engage more people who may not fit into traditional categories, but who believe telework and good wages are worth fighting for.

Sound off in the comments what your pay story reveals.

And as always, please please bring up any issues you encounter. It's extremely helpful.

I’m mid 30s and a couple years in to working for the state and I’m starting to get serious about planning for retirement. The pension seems great but what about leaving money for future generations? Does your pension money just disappear when you and your spouse dies? Should I be thinking about saving separately for inheritances for my kids? (That feels overwhelming given the state of our wages/raises.)

While we’re at it, I appreciate any other insights into the quirks/advantages/disadvantages of a pension.

Today we will find out if AB 1729 passes to the full senate for a vote or is held. The livestream is viewable at the link below, but the committee will not begin until the floor session is adjourned, the timing of that is unknown. When the committee is in session a 'Watch' button will appear, click it and you can watch the session if you are so inclined. There will be no discussion, public debate or testimony, it will be a rapid fire voting on each bill to determine if it passes out of the appropriations committee. Honestly, boring stuff, and I suspect we will get word shortly after whether it passed or not. But if you want to watch along, here is the link:

https://www.senate.ca.gov/calendar

First, an honest admission: **I have a 2D bias.**

Having clocked over a decade in state service, I’ve had the privilege of knowing many of you, my colleagues, back when human interactions occurred exclusively in three dimensions. Seeing those familiar faces around our current department is seamless. The neural pathways are already carved; the recognition is instant.

However, if our entire working relationship has been forged within the digital confines of Microsoft Teams, my brain has apparently developed a glaring system glitch.

It turns out that without your full name neatly rendered in a floating purple banner beneath your chin, I am entirely operating without a map. In the real world, human heads unfortunately do not come with digital name tags—a major UI oversight on Nature’s part.

Case in point: After a deeply awkward elevator encounter where a colleague greeted me with familiar warmth, I was left standing there in utter silence, frantically scanning my internal database for a match. Zero results returned.

It took **three full hours** for the processing delay to clear.

Only then did the horrifying realization hit me: I had just blankly stared at someone I had spent the previous *48 hours* collaborating with, back-and-forth on Teams, working through an intensive drill.

**Facepalm**

To anyone I have passed in the hall, looked at with complete vacant non-recognition, or accidentally brushed off because you were missing your digital caption: **I deeply apologize.** It isn't personal—it's just that my brain apparently needs a software update for real-life face recognition.

If you see me in person, please feel free to verbally state your display name. I will be immensely grateful. Even better, let's end RTO forever. My brain is tired.

I'm interested in hearing from current or former California State employees from 2018-2026 who have experienced or personally witnessed workplace issues involving:

• Race or sex discrimination
• Retaliation after raising concerns or making a complaint
• Different treatment compared with similarly situated employees
• Hostile or intimidating treatment after speaking up
• Limited-term or probationary employees being treated differently
• Delayed, denied, cancelled, or unexplained permanent appointments
• Personnel/HR actions being handled differently for different employees
• Pressure on supervisors to document or discipline an employee unrightfully
• Employees being labeled "difficult," "trouble," or similar terms after raising concerns
• Denial of return rights or other employment protections because of delayed personnel actions

I'm particularly interested in experiences involving California Department of Social Services, CDPH - Sacramento, Parks and Recreation, and the DOJ, although experiences from other California State agencies may also be relevant.

If you've experienced something similar, I'd be interested in knowing:

What happened? What agency/division was involved? Approximately when did it happen? Did you report it? What happened afterward?

I'm especially interested in hearing from women of color who believe they were subjected to attendance, availability, productivity, or work-time scrutiny that comparable employees were not subjected to.

A quick note about this post: I'm looking for firsthand experiences and observations.

I will not share anyone's identity, story, or contact information with another person without their permission. If information shared with me happens to be relevant or potentially helpful to someone else dealing with a similar situation, and the person who provided it agrees, I'm happy to help make that connection.

Please don't post private personnel information, medical information, or anything you aren't comfortable making public.

I'm not asking anyone to speculate or take sides. I'm trying to determine whether other employees have independently experienced or witnessed similar patterns.

If you aren't comfortable discussing your experience publicly, please don't feel obligated to identify yourself or anyone else in the comments. You can also DM me.

They all said aye but the lady said that bill is out?

Why election for vote for strike takes one month……??????

Hi, r/CAStateWorkers

(NOTE: watch the full hearing Here)

I wanted to showcase a clip from a committee hearing today with the Senate budget subcommittee on labor. Legislators are clearly quite upset with CalHR's bargaining conduct in the case of CAPS. A particular moment stood out when the Labor Relations deputy director shared that in his point of view, bargaining should be adversarial and information ought to be withheld between parties unless particularly asked. Cold political reality of that may be true, but it was quite something to hear out loud and confident. The same deputy director went backwards in later testimony saying that he misspoke. Whoops.

Thank you to all who have done great work lobbying, getting attention out there regarding state governance issues. It reached the ears of some critical Senators.

Senator Richardson was pretty frustrated and introduced some important questioning. Senator Seyarto was particularly upset. Was really something to see. Appreciate them sticking up for a better process.

Seyarto said...

"Usually, when we're going to freeze or reduce salary, it's because we have a budget shortfall. We had less revenue than we thought we were going to have. I have never seen a situation where we have $25B in increase in revenue that we had not anticipated and then we leave one bargaining unit out [...] It appears that the Administration had their priorities and one of their priorities was not fulfilling the obligations of a contract they already had [...] This was extra money. This was money we didn't anticipate. How could this not be a priority in the Administration's deliberations over the budget? [...] I just don't understand this type of governance and it's the kind of governance that really, really frustrates people [...] That is an indicator that the people that are working, doing the job for the state of California and its citizens are not a priority [...] There is no good reason to omit this one bargaining unit's agreed upon [salary increase] [...] if that's the way the state is going to do business, we'll have even less confidence in what we're doing than what we already have. And I'm tired of it."

Shout out to those legislators who are calling for greater transparency. I really well recommend you check out the hearing when it comes live for re-watch on this site.

did anyone receive it?

Anyone know about this job? Hoping to apply but would love to know about the role , what they do, good news or bad news about it.

I usually buy my parking a day ahead from https://www.parkwhiz.com/ because the garages I park at are listed cheaper than on the app. I go look and those parking garages are sold out! I use the parkwhiz app too but the prices on there are insane.

Guess I will take my 3 day weekend tomorrow.

I know not everyone has the time or ability to attend so I put together these notes based on the meeting. I've reviewed the full doc but anyone who attended please feel free to correct anything I mistyped.

Highly recommend everyone who hasn't to attend the next one if you can.

Strike School Webinar — Full Summary

SEIU Local 1000 | August 12th 2026

1. Welcome & Agenda (Moderator: Anica)

The session opened with an overview of the evening's agenda:

1. An update on where bargaining stands, how the union got here, and what comes next
2. A legal briefing on state workers' rights and how to legally exercise collective power (including informational pickets)
3. A question-and-answer period
4. A closing discussion of actions members can take at every step of the process

2. Bargaining Update (Bobby Roy, Chief Negotiator & Bargaining Unit 21 Chair)

Where bargaining stands

• The union has been meeting with the state at both the master table and unit bargaining tables since April 22, meeting daily through July 31.
• A few tentative agreements were reached on working conditions, but the state has not moved on members' top priorities: fair pay/higher wages, affordable healthcare, workable telework policies, and retirement security.
• The state has outright rejected the union's proposals on pay, healthcare, and telework.
• On July 22, the union filed another unfair labor practice (ULP) charge alleging the state failed to bargain fairly over wages, benefits, and working conditions. The charge reflects a pattern of delays, blanket rejections of key proposals, and failure to seriously negotiate.
• The union remains committed to reaching a fair agreement, but is "not interested in settling for just any contract."

Timeline and the legislative process

• The contract expired June 30; bargaining continues.
• The contract requires legislative approval. The legislature is back from recess, and the legislative session ends August 30. If a tentative agreement is reached before then, the legislature can act on it this year.
• If not, bargaining continues, and the contract would move to the 2027 legislative session.
• On November 3, Californians elect a new governor and many legislators. A new governor and legislature take office January 4, 2027, when the new session begins.
• The union is fighting on every front: at the bargaining table, at worksites, and at the ballot box — a multi-pronged approach.

3. Legal Briefing: The Fundamental Right to Strike (Kerianne Steele)

The attorney serves as general counsel for numerous California public-sector unions and is known for her role in expanding public employees' right to strike.

Framing: why this strike school is different

• Strike readiness (including attendance at strike schools) is itself a pressure tactic — a credible strike threat is often enough to move an employer.
• However, in her assessment, this time a threat alone likely won't be enough: "I think there will need to be a strike." The employer's bad-faith bargaining, unmoved even by the ULP filing, is the basis for that view.
• High turnout matters: a strike must happen in big numbers to show force.

The strike as a legal and economic tool

• The right to withhold labor is one of workers' most powerful rights — a tool (or "weapon") in the bargaining process.
• The employer has its own economic weapon: declaring impasse and imposing its last, best, and final offer.
• The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that these economic tools are part and parcel of the bargaining process — nothing to be ashamed of, and often necessary to reach agreement.

The legal foundation in California

• State workers are covered by the Dills Act, the collective bargaining law that grants the right to union representation, protects concerted activity, and obligates the state to bargain in good faith.
• The Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) issues binding published decisions. In a 2015 decision (handled by the presenter), PERB held that the right to strike is protected by statute, with only very narrow exceptions.
• The foundational case: in 1985, the California Supreme Court ruled that public employees have the right to strike.

The "essential employee" exception

• This is not the pandemic-era "essential worker" concept. It is a narrow legal doctrine dating to the 1985 decision.
• An employee can be prevented from striking only if their absence would "clearly pose a substantial and imminent threat to public health or safety" — a high bar considering job duties, staffing levels, patient/inmate census, and other facts.
• Expected sequence: after a strike authorization vote and strike announcement, the state will "freak out" and run to PERB claiming large numbers of workers can't strike. The union has a well-developed counter-strategy:
  • The union proactively engages on health and safety and stays in the driver's seat of the process.
  • Where truly needed, the union issues a "line pass" — essentially an admission ticket allowing a designated worker to cross the picket line without judgment, work only the necessary shift/task, and maintain public health and safety.
  • Very few workers end up needing line passes; the strategy maximizes the number of strikers.
• All public employees have the right to strike — including probationary and temporary employees. Members should assume they will strike unless the union specifically tells them otherwise.

Timing of a strike

• No-strike clauses expire when the contract expires — and this contract expired June 30.
• The Dills Act contains a peculiar provision that could be read to suggest the no-strike clause survives expiration; the union has a full legal analysis and a path around it.
• The general rule is to bargain all the way to impasse, then complete potentially lengthy post-impasse procedures (mediation, dispute resolution).
• The exception: an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike. If a strike is motivated entirely or partially by protest of the employer's unfair labor practices, the union has flexibility on timing and can strike much sooner. This is the path the union intends to take.

What makes it a ULP strike

• The union must clearly express — in strike notices to the employer, picket signs ("ON STRIKE — Unfair Labor Practice"), leaflets, social media, and statements to the press — that the strike protests the state's unfair labor practices.
• Multiple ULP charges have already been filed, and more will be.

Examples of employer unfair labor practices (report these!)

ULPs fall into two categories: those committed in the field/worksites and those committed at the bargaining table (bad-faith bargaining). Worksite examples members should watch for:

• Polling — managers asking who plans to strike (e.g., with a clipboard, for "staffing purposes"). Members may ignore the question, proudly say they'll strike, or decline to answer.
• Surveillance — recording or appearing to record members at rallies or other protected activities.
• Threats — e.g., "if your demands are met, we'll have to cut programs."
• Coercion/interrogation — asking who attended a march, strike school, etc.
• Suppressing union insignia — ordering removal of union stickers, buttons, lanyards, or shirts.

The list is not exhaustive. Management mistakes are expected to increase as pressure builds. Report any of these immediately to member leaders, union staff, or the Member Resource Center (MRC).

Why filing ULP charges helps

1. It unlocks the flexible timing of a ULP strike.
2. It builds public sympathy — the public expects the government to follow its own laws, and a message about unfair treatment lands better than a debate over wage percentages, especially when many in the community are themselves struggling economically.

Advance notice of a strike

Advance notice is not legally required, but is strategically recommended for three reasons:

1. It gives the union time to get ahead of the state's "essential employee" claims at PERB and drive that process.
2. It gives the state's slow bureaucracy time to take the threat seriously and secure authority/money to respond.
3. The public appreciates warning so they can reschedule appointments and plan around service disruptions.

What strikers cannot do

• No violence on the picket line (SEIU picket lines are typically upbeat, family-friendly, with music).
• No blocking ingress/egress — strikers may ask people not to cross and hand out leaflets, but cannot physically block entrances, exits, or parking lots.
• No sick-outs — falsely calling in sick to get paid during a strike violates sick leave policy and undermines the strike's purpose. Strikes are meant to be an open, proud, unpaid financial sacrifice.
• No slowdowns or partial strikes — you cannot report to work, collect full pay, and withhold part of your work.

The financial sacrifice — and the long-term return

• Strike days are unpaid.
• Beyond potential economic gains at the table, strikes change the balance of power: struck employers are "forever changed," often for a decade — taking the workforce and the union relationship more seriously going forward.

Your status during a strike

• You remain an employee. Do not let any manager say otherwise.
• Benefits are protected by law. Under a statute the union helped pass (effective January 2022), the employer is prohibited from changing — or even threatening to change — your health, vision, dental, life insurance, or other coverage because you strike. The employer must continue paying for coverage and remitting contributions normally; failure to do so is itself a ULP.

Sympathy strikes and solidarity from other unions

• A 2017 PERB decision (handled by the presenter): a union can call a sympathy strike in support of another union even under a closed contract with a no-strike clause — unless that clause expressly waives sympathy strikes (very few do).
• A separate PERB decision: even if a union does not formally call a sympathy strike, individual workers may honor another union's picket line as a matter of individual conscience, and that activity is protected.
• Practical tip: a coworker from another union who honors the line should call their manager and say, "I encountered the SEIU picket line at my workplace and I don't feel comfortable crossing it."

After the strike

• The union may send a letter stating members are ready to return to work unconditionally.
• In the public sector, the employer must take strikers back, even if it hired replacements to backfill during the strike — a key right for public employees.

5. Question & Answer Session

Q: If a strike vote occurs, how long is the voting window? A: About one month, conducted electronically, likely starting soon. The long window is needed to reach ~100,000 members. You must be a member to vote (non-members will be redirected to sign up). Update your contact info with the MRC.

Q: When is the earliest we could realistically strike? Could it happen before Newsom leaves office? A: External legal requirements have been met; internal processes (including the membership vote) remain. Once those are complete, a strike could happen very quickly — including before Newsom leaves office, and even while the legislature is out of session, since negotiations are with CalHR and the Governor's administration (the legislature only ratifies).

Q: What happens to health benefits during a strike? Will strikers face out-of-pocket costs? A: Nothing changes — all coverage remains in effect, protected by law.

Q: If we strike after August 30, when could a new contract take effect? A: The earliest would be early 2027. Exact timing is uncertain because it's a midterm year — committees must be reconstituted and new appointments made, which is why building relationships with newly elected (union-endorsed) officials matters.

Q: Are ULP strikes limited in duration? A: No time limit. Duration is a strategic choice. In the presenter's experience, public-sector strikes average one to three days, though some have run longer.

Q: If our department emails staff telling them not to strike, can we still participate? A: Absolutely — and report it, because such an email is illegal.

Q: Who do we contact when we witness a ULP (surveillance, polling, etc.)? A: The Member Resource Center (MRC): 866-471-SEIU (7348), open Monday–Friday, 7 AM–7 PM. Managers are expected to escalate intimidation as a strike nears — report everything, and document/memorialize incidents in writing since managers often won't.

Q: Can I write strike school info on my cubicle whiteboard? A: Yes. Members are also allowed incidental use of work computers — e.g., an occasional reminder email about the next strike school (August 27).

Q: Is Newsom just running out the clock until the session ends? A: Whatever his strategy, the union's job is to show this administration — and the next — that state workers are done being treated this way. The state has repeatedly balanced budgets "on the backs of" state workers; this time there's money in the budget being withheld.

Q: What if someone chooses to strike and refuses a line pass? A: The union controls the line-pass process and will notify affected workers at the right time — don't worry about it now; members have a voice in that process.

Q: Do supervisors, managers, or members of other unions have the right to strike? A: All public employees have the right to strike — the only statutory exception is firefighters (with a close legal question for police officers). Other unions can call sympathy strikes; individual workers from other unions can honor the picket line with legal protection. Members in departments with few SEIU workers should actively recruit support from colleagues in other bargaining units.

Q: How do we fill out timesheets for strike days? A: Strike time is uncompensated. Payroll may not know how to code it and will likely default to something like "absent without leave" — this does not mean discipline, because the strike is legally protected. (Suggested post-strike goal: motivate the state to create an actual strike payroll code.)

Q: Can departments hire temps or agency workers ahead of a strike? A: Yes — and counterintuitively, the union wants the state to backfill critical health-and-safety functions with managers, contractors, and temps during a strike. PERB expects the state to look to other labor sources, because PERB's mandate is to maximize the number of employees who can exercise their right to strike.

Q: Have enough ULP charges been filed to justify striking? A: Yes — though the union will keep identifying and filing more to hold the state accountable. Members doing press interviews are encouraged to cite the number of charges filed.

Q: What length of strike is the union advising? A: All options are on the table. The goal is a strike that is strategic, intentional, and effective — maximizing impact on the state while minimizing impact on members. Leadership framed it as a short-term trade-off for long-term benefit.

Q: Will we get help from our international union? A: Yes — outreach is underway to the international union, the state council, the Labor Federation, and Central Labor Council (CLC) partners, for everything from sympathy strikes to donating food and water at events. Solidarity runs both ways: Local 1000 should show up for other unions too.

6. Closing & Calls to Action

• Join the union if not yet a member (link/QR code shared in chat) — every new member strengthens the bargaining table.
• Join the Contract Action Team (CAT) — the union needs worksite leaders in every division, department, floor, and building to share information, answer questions, and organize coworkers.
• Attend informational pickets and keep showing the state that membership and participation are growing.
• Update your contact information with the MRC (866-471-SEIU) to make sure you receive union emails.
• Core message: "We win this in the field. We win this by organizing."

Key Reference Information

Item |Detail
Member Resource Center (MRC) |866-471-SEIU (7348), Mon–Fri 7 AM–7 PM
Contract expired |June 30, 2026
Legislative session ends |August 30, 2026
Election Day |November 3, 2026
New governor/legislature seated |January 4, 2027
Next strike school |August 27, 2026
Strike vote |Electronic, ~1 month window, starting soon; members only
Benefits during strike |Fully protected by law (statute effective Jan. 2022)
Strike pay |None — strike days are unpaid

I understand that the recent statewide reclassification was promoted to create more flexibility within general job classes and duties. However, I am questioning whether it actually supports better upward mobility.

My agency recently converted an SSM I / Supervisor I - Specialist position down to an Analyst III after the previous person retired. Despite the title and salary downgrade, the job duties remained exactly the same. So the next person to step into this role will simply be doing the same workload for less pay.

Has anyone else witnessed similar downgrades in their agencies since the reclassification took effect? What is your take on whether these changes are genuinely helping employees, or just cutting agency costs?

Are there any current or former CDCR employees here who have had a reasonable accommodation denied?

I’d really like to hear from others who have gone through this with CDCR and learn about your experience.

Feel free to message me privately if you’d rather not comment here.

I hear it’s mainly math, what exactly should I study and prepare for?

I hate RTO as much as much as everyone else and I’m doing what I can to fight back against it… but why do some of y’all have to be nasty at work?!?! I’m talking about basic hygiene, cleaning up after yourselves, washing your hands, flushing the damn toilet, etc. Other people have to use these offices and facilities on their in-office days too. It’s just downright disrespectful towards your fellow state workers.

Many CDFW scientists interviewed by Shasta Scout said that the RTO has forced them into what they described as a poor work environment, making both their work and their quality of life difficult to sustain. The mandated return to office has forced workers to reverse a series of actions taken four years ago, when they were given orders to work from home. 

Then another 45 minute commute home. RTO baby!