On June 12, 2026, SEIU Local 1000 held a meet and confer with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) regarding the Return-to-Office mandate effective July 1, 2026. The team was able to confirm exemptions for medical or Reasonable Accommodations as well as if an employee lives 50 miles or more from their worksite and had a mutually agreeable telework policy in place as of March 2025. CDCR confirmed they will also consider other requests on a case-by-case basis. CDCR had not identified issues with the previous telework policy, had not identified changes to be made to the telework policy prior to the executive order, and cannot revert back if the impact is determined to have had a negative impact on staffing, morale, or productivity, but will take other measures to address those issues if they become a problem.
The team was also able to clarify:
- Field days count as in office days
- Remote day scheduling will be left to divisions and supervisors with seniority used if needed
- Management has discretion to consider requests to flex remote days within the same week as well as requests for individual remote days
- AWW schedules and part-time employees are still required to be in office 4 days a week
- Employees that have changed worksites are not eligible for an exemption if it means they now live 50 miles or more from their new reporting location
- Employees are not permitted to report to other locations or institutions closer to their residences.
CDCR further confirmed there is no consideration for relocation costs, financial assistance or hardship transfers unless they would already meet the criteria outside of RTO. There are no exemptions for employees hired 100% remotely unless they meet one of the exemptions.
The team made several proposals to CDCR regarding full-time telework, parking, safe access, and commute assistance. The department confirmed they would consider and follow up at a later date during a follow-up meeting.
There are still items that need further clarification such as the location and timelines for SOMS and BPH and expectations for missed in office days due to approved leave.
However, CDCR confirmed they intend to move forward with 4 days in office, per the Governor’s mandate.
In response to the RTO mandate and what is happening at the bargaining table, SEIU Local 1000 is planning a Holding the Line Rally at the Capitol to make our voices heard. Please join us on July 1 as we continue fighting for Telework that Works and the contract state workers deserve.