June 11, 2026
The fight for our next contract continues. As Master Table bargaining moves forward, our message to the State remains clear: state workers deserve Fair Pay, Affordable Healthcare, Secure Retirement, and Telework that Works.
The State continues to claim budget constraints, but the facts tell a different story. State revenues are now billions of dollars higher than expected, and California can, and should, invest in the workforce that keeps our state running. That’s why we are continuing to fight for fair pay, including our proposal for a 20% General Salary Increase (GSI) over the next three years: 7% in 2026, 7% in 2027 and 6% in 2028.
Since our last update, our bargaining team continued advancing proposals focused on improving working conditions and building a stronger contract for the nearly 100,000 state workers represented by SEIU Local 1000.
📹 Hear Updates Directly from Our Chief Negotiator
Protecting Workers
Last Thursday, our bargaining team advanced proposals aimed at protecting workers as state government changes and creating more opportunities for state workers to grow in their careers. One proposal focuses on protecting workers from the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) and new technology. As the State increasingly uses automation and AI, our union is fighting to ensure new technology is used to support workers, not replace them. Workers deserve training, transparency, privacy protections and a real voice in how new technology is introduced in the workplace. The State provided a counter proposal on Tuesday and our bargaining team is preparing a response.
While our bargaining team continues fighting for Telework that Works and policies that modernize state government, the State is still maintaining its position on implementing a July 1 return-to-office mandate. The State also provided a counterproposal that would eliminate the telework stipend, shifting even more costs onto workers. Our bargaining team is pushing back because telework decisions should be based on operational need, taxpayer value and effective public service — not politics.
Additional proposals focused on recognizing and respecting call center workers, creating new wellness programs and addressing other day-to-day issues that impact state workers across California. The State provided a counterproposal on wellness programs and our bargaining team is reviewing it as we continue pushing for stronger support for workers’ health and well-being.
Fighting Against Mandatory Overtime
For over a decade, we’ve told the State many times that Mandatory Overtime is dangerous. That’s why existing laws limit the use of Mandatory Overtime for many private-sector healthcare workers, yet state healthcare workers are still being forced to fight for the same basic protections. This week, our bargaining team advanced proposals to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, Mandatory Overtime in state-run healthcare facilities.
While Mandatory Overtime directly impacts Units 17 and 20, this fight matters to all of us. Mandatory Overtime is not a long-term staffing solution. It strains workers, impacts patient care and fails to address the vacancies and staffing problems at the root of the issue.
When one group of state workers is forced to carry the burden of unsafe staffing, all of us have a responsibility to stand with them.