On June 2, 2026, SEIU Local 1000 held a meet and confer with the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (CUIAB) 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 address was 50 miles or more from their worksite and had a mutually agreeable telework policy in place as of March, 2025.
CUIAB confirmed they will also consider other requests on a case by case basis, and that management would have discretion to consider request to flex remote days or work remote on a case by case basis depending on individual circumstances.
The team was also able to clarify field days for field staff count as in office days, no work groups are exempt based on the nature of the work they do, CUIAB is not tracking or measuring the impact of RTO on collaboration, cohesion, or team building, and that they would not be able to revert back if it was determined RTO had a negative impact on the department, productivity, staffing, or morale. CUIAB did not identify concerns with the previous telework policies, will not be measuring the impact, and will not be conducting employee surveys regarding the impact.
Many items were yet to be determined, and SEIU is still in the process and seeking further clarification. However, CUIAB 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.