California State Workers Stage First Strike Over Office Mandate

A historic walkout over pay, healthcare and office days

On Wednesday, California's largest state employee union walked off the job for one day. SEIU Local 1000 members picketed in cities across the state to pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration into signing a new contract that raises pay, makes healthcare more affordable and loosens a strict return-to-office rule.4 The union represents about 100,000 public employees, close to half of the state government workforce. Its members include nurses, clerks, program analysts, IT staff and custodians.1 This is the union's first statewide strike. It came close in 2016, when a deal with then-Gov. Jerry Brown was reached at the last minute.12

Outlets differ slightly on the details. CalMatters and local Sacramento stations put the union's history at 44 years, counting the labor groups that later merged into Local 1000.120 The AP dates the union's founding to 2004.9 The Sacramento Bee says the walkout will probably be the largest state worker strike in California history. It would be only the second state worker strike ever, after state-employed scientists in CAPS-UAW struck in 2023. Both have happened under Newsom.67

No deal came together beforehand. Union president Anica Walls said no talks were scheduled before the strike and that the union would not meet with the state again until it was over.7 That is a clear change from 2016, when the threat of a walkout was enough to produce a deal.

The return-to-office mandate

Pay and healthcare are the biggest money items, but the four-day office mandate is what turned frustration into a strike. Newsom ordered state workers back to the office four days a week starting July 1. Under the post-pandemic policy, staff had needed to be in person only two days a week.2 Newsom has argued that more office time improves collaboration and innovation, and that this helps the government serve the public better.4 Last month he vetoed a union-backed bill that would have made agencies explain in writing why a worker had to come into the office.4

The union says remote work saves the state money on office space and helps workers balance their lives.4 It has asked for more flexible telework and for stipends for employees who must work on site.6 The two sides disagree about why talks stalled. CalHR, the state's labor negotiator, says the union would only bargain if the state gave ground on the four-day rule. The union says it was waiting for a serious offer that also covered raises and healthcare contributions.67

One figure puts the telework issue in perspective. Walls has said the mandate directly affects only about 30,000 of the roughly 100,000 workers the union represents.20 Most members work in prisons, hospitals, DMV offices and other places where remote work was never possible. That means the strike is not only about telework, even if telework is what makes the dispute so visible. The Sacramento Bee described bargaining as the union's last resort against the mandate.7 This is the best reading of the coverage: the office rule is what made the fight intense, but the money issues give the union a reason to strike that covers the whole membership.

Contract talks and the bad-faith finding

Bargaining started in late April. The previous contract expired June 30.6 The union is asking for a 20% raise over three years: 7% in 2026, 7% in 2027 and 6% in 2028. It also wants the state to pay more toward healthcare, including new options for rural workers.3 The union says the state rejected nine of its 16 proposals on June 30, the day the old contract ran out.6 Its complaint to the Public Employment Relations Board also says state negotiators claimed there was no money for more compensation.5

The union has an important legal win on its side. In late September, the labor board found that CalHR had refused to meet and confer in good faith.1 The administration then tried to stop the strike. It argued the union had not properly identified essential workers who would have to stay on the job, and that mediation should be finished before any walkout. The board turned down the state's request for an injunction.619 Members had already voted to authorize the strike, with 96.2% in favor.3

Reports disagree on how many workers are barred from striking. CalMatters and ABC10 say about 5,000 essential employees, out of roughly 95,000 eligible strikers.1920 The Sacramento Bee puts the number nearer 4,400, mostly in state hospitals and prisons, after the board added about 1,160 positions to the list.6 The timing of talks is also reported differently. The Bee says impasse mediation began the Thursday before the strike.6 CalMatters reports a mediation session set for Oct. 30.19 Both can be true if mediation is a series of meetings rather than one.

CalHR's public line has stayed the same. It says it remains open to bargaining, wants a "fair and responsible" agreement, and that departments have contingency plans to keep services running.420 The DMV and the Employment Development Department said offices would stay open but that hours and services could change.20 Striking workers will not be paid for the day.6

Budget cuts, job eliminations and pay reductions

The pay demand makes more sense against the last two years of cuts to the state workforce. Facing large deficits, Newsom's administration eliminated thousands of state jobs, mostly by removing vacant positions instead of laying people off. In 2024 the governor proposed cutting about 10,000 unfilled positions and reducing state operations spending by about 7.95%. At the time he said the plan would not include furloughs, layoffs or wage cuts. His 2026-27 budget proposal built on that, calling for 6,002 vacant positions to be eliminated starting in 2025-26. That would save about $478 million in the first year and about $487 million a year after that.24 Analysts doubted early on that savings of that size could come only from efficiencies. A Legislative Analyst's Office expert said it seemed unlikely the full savings could be reached without affecting staff.25

Cutting vacancies does not show up as layoffs, but it leaves fewer people to do the same work. Then the pay cuts came. Local 1000's last contract included three 3% raises. The state withheld a further 1% raise that was due in 2025, and in June 2025 unions accepted temporary pay reductions to help balance the budget. Those reductions largely cancelled out the promised raise. Local 1000 also agreed to push back a scheduled raise to next summer.1 CalMatters reports that Newsom has asked for wage cuts in three of his eight years as governor.19 Earlier budget plans also gave the administration power to suspend scheduled raises if bargaining did not produce enough savings. The Legislative Analyst's Office warned that this kind of open-ended authority could harm labor relations.26

The state's budget is still tight. In April, reporting described a projected structural deficit of about $35 billion a year starting in 2026-27, with agencies such as State Parks offering vacant positions as cuts.23 The union argues the other way, pointing to a $20 billion increase in general fund spending over two years.1 Walls has also noted that her members' pay makes up less than 3% of the state budget.20 The state's "no money" position is in direct conflict with the union's claim that it can afford more, and the coverage gives no sign that either side is moving.

Politics and what comes next

The strike is happening as Newsom prepares to leave office in January, with an eye on a possible 2028 presidential run.4 The relationship has soured: Local 1000 once gave $1 million to help him fight the recall effort against him.8 Walls has said the union's demands will stay the same whoever is governor.1 The Sacramento Bee notes that attention may now move to the governor's race. Democrat Xavier Becerra has called remote work an important part of a modern workplace without promising to end the mandate. Republican Steve Hilton has not taken a public position on it.7

The likeliest outcome is a deal that waits for the next governor. Newsom has little reason to reverse a mandate he defended and protected with a veto just weeks ago. The union, which already has a labor board finding on its side, has little reason to settle for less with only months left in his term. Walls has said members are ready to escalate, including with another strike, if the state keeps bargaining in bad faith.1920 Talks resume at mediation on Oct. 30.19 If nothing changes there, Wednesday's walkout may turn out to be the first of several.