Bargaining Units

Overview

Bargaining Units
What is a Bargaining Unit?

California civil service employees are divided into 21 bargaining units, based on their “community of interest” with other employees in their unit. In labor law, a “community of interest” is when a group of employees share common interests in wages, hours and other conditions of employment. Other factors that reflect a “community of interests” for organizing purposes include:

  • Similarity in skills, interests, duties and working conditions;
  • The employer’s organizational and supervisory structure;
  • The bargaining history; and
  • The extent of union organization among the employees.

Under the California “Dills Act,” the authority to determine bargaining units is given to the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB). 

Local 1000 represents 95,000 employees in nine bargaining units, making us the largest union for state employees in California and one of the largest public-sector unions in the country. 

Local 1000 bargains on behalf of all of our represented units at a “master table” on issues affecting all units, such as health and welfare, retirement and layoffs.  Our union also bargains on specific issues, such as classifications and post and bid, separately on behalf of specific bargaining unit.