Local 1000 reaches Tentative Agreement for new contract
Tentative Agreement Summary:
a. Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs): Our bargaining survey identified salary increases for all as the number one priority of our members, and we negotiated COLAs for both Units in 2026 and 2027, and a three-year contract term that we think best positions the Bar to secure sufficient funding going forward.
- 2% in Year 1, effective January 1, 2026
- 2% in Year 2, effective January 1, 2027
- No increase in 2028
b. Remote Work: Remote Work was also identified as a high priority for our members, and our team successfully negotiated an addendum to the contract which codifies the State Bar’s current remote work policy, with some minor changes. For now we expect that most employees will remain on a 1-day/week schedule, and this ensures that most employees will generally be required to work no more than 2 days in-office during the life of the contract (through 2028).
c. Restructuring of Paralegal classifications: New Paralegal I, Paralegal II, and Paralegal III classifications will be created, effective January 1, 2026, giving experienced Paralegals more opportunities for promotion and salary advancement.
- Paralegals with less than 2 years of service at the Bar will become Paralegal Is, with a salary scale equivalent to the current Paralegal salary scale
- Paralegals with 2 or more years of service at the State Bar will become Paralegal IIs, with a salary scale 7.5% higher than the current Paralegal salary scale
- Senior Paralegals will become Paralegal IIIs, with a salary scale equivalent to the current Senior Paralegal salary scale
d. Additional Personal Days: Employees with 3 or more years of service will receive one additional Personal Day annually
e. Compensatory Time Off for General Unit:
- General Unit employees who are required to work outside of normal working hours (7am-7pm Monday through Friday) to attend or support a Board of Trustees, committee, or subcommittee meeting will receive Compensatory Time Off at 1.5 times the actual time worked, to be used within 30 calendar days.
- IT Staff required to work outside of normal working hours (7am-7pm Monday through Friday) to perform system maintenance or updates, roll out new software or hardware, or address a time-sensitive or urgent IT-related matter will receive Compensatory Time Off at 1.5 times the actual time worked, to be used within 30 calendar days.
f. Restriction on retention of Notices of Discipline (ND) in personnel files: The State Bar will remove Notices of Discipline from employees’ official personnel files after four years, provided no further related disciplinary action has occurred during that period.
g. Other Contract changes:
- Leaves of Absence/Service Leave: We negotiated some changes to this section of the Contract:
- Leaves of absence for more than 12 weeks, except in cases of birth/adoption/foster placement, are at the discretion of the Executive Director, and shall not be unreasonably denied.
- New language acknowledging the State Bar’s duty to comply with applicable law including the Family and Medical Leave Act, California Family Rights Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act
- New language providing that employees accrue vacation and sick leave while on paid status
- New language allowing employees to use accrued vacation and/or personal leave during a service leave
- Vacation Cash-Out: The cap on the amount of vacation that an employee can cash out was reduced from four to two weeks per calendar year.
- Reduction of Wages as a disciplinary measure: The Bar may use a reduction of wages as a disciplinary measure for certain specified causes of action related to absenteeism or work performance, not to exceed 5% for 10 biweekly pay periods.
- Catastrophic Leave: Catastrophic Leave shall not be given to employees who have separated or are in the process of separating from employment with the State Bar.
Click here to read the entire tentative agreement here.
- Voting Information:
All voting will be held electronically. You can vote in the Ratification Election from Monday, June 23rd at 1:00pm until Friday, June 27th, at 1:00pm. Information on the voting process will be provided on Monday, June 23rd.
Click here to participate in the State Bar ratification vote.
You must be a member of Local 1000 to participate in the ratification vote.
Click here to become a member of SEIU Local 1000.
Committee on Political Education: The State Bar’s budget is set by a fee bill that must be approved by the state legislature annually. It’s critical that Local 1000 be able to help elect state legislators that will stand up for workers and ensure that the State Bar is adequately funded to meet its operational needs, and to lobby for increased funding when necessary. Your COPE donations make this possible. Please sign up to donate to COPE today to make it possible for Local 1000 to continue this critical work on behalf of State Bar employees.
Click here to sign up for COPE
Questions about the Tentative Agreement or Ratification Election should be directed to your Bargaining Team:
- Andrew Vasicek – [email protected]
- Shataka Shores – [email protected]
- Jalene Mojica-Jackson – [email protected]
- Max Master – [email protected]
- Veronica Trejo [email protected]
- Brian Hoeber – [email protected]
Tentative Agreement Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To help clarify some common points, please refer to the Q&A section below:
Q: Why was the bargaining process fast-tracked?
A: We had an opportunity to enshrine remote work in the Contract with the current State Bar Executive Director who is leaving in July. At the time bargaining began, there was no indication of who the new Executive Director would be. The bargaining team agreed that it was better to protect remote work now than take a risk that a new Executive Director would be anti-remote work.
Q: How does the TA protect remote work?
A: Without any language in our Contract, management has control of how often employees are allowed to work from home. Management could require employees to return to the office and the union would have limited avenues to attempt to stop this. With this TA, management can only require employees to work, at most, 2 days per week in the office. We expect the current 1-day per week in office schedule to remain in place, but at worst, employees would only be in-office twice per week.
Q: Why are there COLAs for the first two years but not the third?
A: Management did not want to agree to a three-year contract at all. They were concerned about how the next funding bill process would go. The bargaining team decided that protecting remote work for as long as possible, i.e. a full three-year term, was important enough to agree to no COLA for the third year to ensure that full term. Management was not willing to agree to any COLA in the third year but did come around to our three-year term proposal.
Q: How does the General Unit Compensatory Time work?
A: If any General Unit (or non-attorney) employee is required to work outside the hours of 7a.m. to 7p.m. Monday-Friday for the purpose of supporting a Board of Trustees, committee, or subcommittee meeting, they are entitled to compensatory time. If an IT employee is required to work outside these hours to perform system maintenance or updates, roll out new software or hardware, or address a time-sensitive or urgent IT-related matter, that IT employee is entitled to compensatory time. Overtime exempt staff can still work outside those hours, but unless these specific criteria are met, the will not be entitled to Compensatory Time.
Q: How do disciplinary salary reductions work?
A: Disciplinary salary reductions can only be issued for particular causes where absence from work would compound the issue. Salary reductions are limited to a 5% reduction and be no more than the monetary equivalent of a 5-day suspension. Progressive discipline must still be used before issuing a disciplinary salary reduction.