By admin 
California’s legislative sessions has come to a close and lawmakers made decisions that will likely affect state workers
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It’s an important time for state employees, many of which recently returned to the office four days a week to oblige with a mandate from Gov. Gavin Newsom. Similarly, state-employed scientists didn’t receive their wages July 1 and looked to the legislature to fulfill the promise given through collective bargaining.
From addressing those concerns to bolstering holiday credit policies, here are five key votes state workers should know about.
State employee telework
California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 1729, which could encourage state agencies and departments to encourage telework and create a centralized dashboard to track related efficiency metrics. However, it wouldn’t require telework.
The bill was sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who could veto it. The governor stands by his return-to-office mandate that on July 1 brought many state workers to the office four days a week. Newsom has equated RTO to a three-day weekend. At a press conference last month, he said RTO policies aim to bolster creativity and foster relationships.
“You get three-day weekends, you still do,” Newsom said last month. “You know, four years ago that would have been a triumph. Now, it’s some burden.”
Newsom could veto the bill. Assemblymember Alex Lee, D-San Jose, said he would ask his colleagues to override such an action. A veto override required two-thirds vote in each chamber, and the bill received more than that.
“These are the people we need to (take) care of because (state workers) are executing our ambitions, and to see them have their morale just plummet because the governor’s forcing … an outdated model was really heartbreaking to me,” Lee said in an interview.
State scientist raises
State scientists were scheduled to receive special salary adjustments on July 1 ranging from 3% to 5%, but they’re now going without. Initially, the legislature didn’t fund the wage increases after the Department of Finance omitted it from the proposed budget.
The raises were outlined in the California Association Professional Scientists UAW Local 1115 collective bargaining agreement. State law doesn’t require the legislature to fund economic proposals, but if it fails to do so, new negotiations can occur.
A trailer bill was amended to fund the raises and published online early Saturday morning. The bill, AB and SB 113, passed in the Legislature Tuesday morning and now awaits Newsom’s signature.
“The funding for our 2026 raises has been included in a budget trailer bill (SB & AB 113),” California Association Professional Scientists, UAW Local 1115, President Jacqueline Tkac wrote in an email Saturday morning to members. “This is a direct result of CAPS-UAW members showing up and being united in our fight to defend our contract.”
Cal Fire wages
Legislators passed Assembly Bill 2129 that would require the state to bargain in good faith with firefighters to meet the objective of being within 5% of the average firefighter salary.
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The average wage is determined by analyzing 20 fire departments to be chosen by the Department of Human Resources and the firefighter union, Cal Fire Local 1881.
Cal Fire Local 1881 says wages haven’t kept up with inflation, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting.
“A top-ranked Cal Fire engineer with a family of four qualified for free school lunch because of his income, that tells you how much we’re struggling.” union President Tim Edwards previously said. “If you look at other departments, over the last few years, they’ve gotten significant raises to match inflation, and our work has not gotten lighter; in fact, it’s gotten worse.”
The bill was sent to Newsom, who vetoed a similar bill last year that also asked for the 15% average salary window. This year’s proposal differs from last years by making it an objective of bargaining “in good faith” rather than a mandate, according to a legislative report.
“This bill would create significant cost pressures for the state and circumvent the collective bargaining process,” Newsom wrote in . “State employee salaries, along with other components such as health and pension benefits, should be determined through collective bargaining.”
Last week, Assembly Bill 2129 passed the Assembly 75-1 and the state Senate 40-0, which is more than two-thirds of the vote in both chambers. If Newsom vetoes the bill, the legislature could decide to hold another vote to override the veto.
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha
A bill spearheaded by Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, looks to add Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to a list of state holidays. The bill, if signed into law, would allow state employees to use holiday credit for the two Islamic holidays. It’d also allow community colleges and public schools to close.
“California’s workforce reflects the incredible diversity of our state, and our holiday policies should reflect that,” Haney wrote in a statement. “This bill gives state workers more flexibility to use paid time they already have to observe important religious and cultural holidays.”
The bill, Assembly Bill 2017, on Sunday passed 62-3 in the Assembly 62-3 and 30-4 in the state Senate. It now heads to Newsom for his consideration.
Public safety worker pensions
Lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 1383 that could affect newly-hired public safety workers. The bill aims to lower the retirement age from 57 to 55 and give unions more room to negotiate pensions, supporters say the bill would help California and local governments hire and retrain these employees. Those opposed to AB 1383 say it could increase unfunded employee pension liabilities for government entities.
Members of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System who participate in Social Security are eligible to receive up to $155,081 per year in retirement benefits, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting. The new cap would increase to $184,500.
“The changes that AB 1383 would put into place would easily result in tens of millions of dollars in annual costs to a local retirement system,” Eric Stern, the CEO of the Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System, previously said.
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