On June 4, 2026, SEIU Local 1000 held a meet and confer with the Department of General Services (DGS) 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’s address was 50 miles or more from their worksite and had a mutually agreeable telework policy in place as of March, 2025.
DGS confirmed they will also consider other requests on a case by case basis, and that management would have discretion to consider requests to flex remote days or work remotely on a case by case basis, depending on individual circumstances. Field days for field staff count as in-office days, and no work groups are exempt based on the nature of the work they do.
Even after SEIU raised concerns about the increased workload and impact on custodians, DGS responded that there is no current plan to increase custodial staff for the anticipated 4-day RTO. Instead, DGS management will only be reviewing to see if adjustments need to be made after implementation based on the needs and requests of building occupants. DGS confirmed custodial staffing levels were set to full building occupancy, and DGS is not concerned with the impact of RTO on current custodial staff workloads or cleaning routes.
The team was also able to clarify that DGS did not identify issues with their telework policies, nor did they have plans to change them prior to the Executive Order. DGS is not tracking or measuring the impact of RTO on collaboration, cohesion, or team building, and they would not be able to revert back if it were determined that RTO had a negative impact on the department, productivity, staffing, or morale. DGS also does not have plans to conduct employee surveys related to the impact of RTO.
However, DGS 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.