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California Delays Four-Day Return-to-Office Mandate Until 2026 After Union Concessions

The delay came after unions traded deferred raises for unpaid leave offsets to address a $12 billion budget gap.

Overview

  • CalHR finalized labor agreements with SEIU Local 1000 and other unions to postpone the four-day weekly office requirement until July 2026.
  • SEIU Local 1000 agreed to offset a 3 percent pay increase with five additional hours of unpaid leave each month.
  • Professional engineers and administrative law judges accepted delayed salary hikes to secure one-year reprieves from the policy.
  • The negotiations used Gov. Newsom’s order as leverage to help close a projected $12 billion deficit despite the absence of a statewide cost analysis.
  • A small group of state scientists who refused to renegotiate remain subject to the original four-day mandate set for July 1, 2025.