Gov. Gavin Newsom’s return-to-office order went into full effect July 1, requiring about 95,000 full-time California state employees to go back to the office at least four days a week after six years of remote work.
“In-person work makes us all stronger—period,” Newsom said in a statement. “When we work together, collaboration improves, innovation thrives, and accountability increases.”
The policy is expected to improve service and solutions, and deliver better results for Californians, the governor added.
All agencies and departments within his administration were expected to update their hybrid telework policies.
Individual workers are able to ask for exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
The policy became effective despite tremendous pushback and legal action from employee unions.
California has about 224,000 full-time state workers, according to the governor’s office. More than half already report in person to work every day, including law enforcement, healthcare workers, maintenance workers, and safety inspectors.
California was the first state in the nation to adopt a stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 19, 2020. Remote work has since spread into a widely adopted public and private sector model across the country.
SEIU Local 1000, the Service Employees International Union that represents about 100,000 state workers as California’s largest union, fought the back-to-office mandate.
The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the state’s Public Employment Relations Board on June 24, alleging the state implemented the new policy without giving the union an opportunity to meet and discuss the decision.
Union members held a rally July 1 at the state capitol in Sacramento in protest of the start of the initiative.
The union filed a lawsuit on June 20 against Newsom and the California Department of Human Resources challenging the legality of the mandate, asking a state court to find the state violated administrative procedure.
“State workers successfully transitioned to telework during the pandemic, saving taxpayer dollars, reducing pollution, and improving service delivery,” SEIU Local 1000 President Anica Walls said. “The governor is now attempting to undo that progress behind closed doors and with unilateral action.”
The union claimed the state had saved $700 million by shifting to remote work.
A second lawsuit filed by the California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment union this month sought to bar the mandate, claiming it’s in violation of the state’s environmental quality regulations. The motion was rejected by an Oakland judge.
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