Amid a stall in contract negotiations with the state of California, members of the Service Employees International Union gathered in front of the California Department of Transportation building in Oakland on Wednesday to stage an informational picket.
According to Anica Walls, union president for SEIU Local 1000, the union has been without a contract since July 1, when demands for a pay increase, affordable health care, retirement benefits and the ability to telework were not agreed upon between the union and the California Department of Human Resources, or CALHR.
“Our members are frustrated with the offer that was passed at the table,” Walls said. “[Regarding our demands,] we’re hit with a bunch of zeros, which is obviously a nonstarter for our members, especially given that our state employees have continued to show up for California.”
In March 2025, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order requiring state employees to return to the office at least four days a week beginning July 1, 2025. The order was postponed to July 1, 2026.
This executive order was especially provoking to picketers, some of whom held signs that read “Gavin Loves Traffic” and “Our mission includes protecting the environment.”
In response to questions on the status of negotiations, Angela Musallam, deputy director of communications for CALHR, said the department respects the confidentiality of the bargaining process and does not speak on ongoing negotiations but remains committed to continuing to negotiate in good faith with union partners.
Musallam added that union members would continue to receive their current salaries and benefits outlined in the existing contract until a new agreement is reached and ratified.
Not just about ‘return to office’
Members of the California Association of Professional Scientists, United Auto Workers Local 1115 were also participants in Wednesday’s picket. Katrina Yarbrough, a member of the union, said the return to office demands were especially challenging, saying that for them, it would mean an additional five hours of commute time on public transit to get to and from work.
“It completely uproots your life,” Yarbrough said, adding that working remotely “makes work-life balance more accessible to more people, especially people who moved so far away during the pandemic.”
Another CAPS-UAW member, Shelby Goss, said that as state scientists, the return-to-office mandate directly contradicts California’s climate goals and the work she and other scientists have been doing to address climate change.
“Here is Gavin Newsom saying that we should do four-day [return to office], that we put more emissions out into the air, that we use more gas egregiously in what is supposed to be an environmentally friendly state,” Goss said.
Walls added that the union remains at the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith but has started educating members on how to conduct strikes just in case.
“This is not just about ‘return to office,’ this is about the bigger contract,” Walls said. “Obviously, we’re being driven by what’s happening at the table, but our members are fired up and ready to go and ready to fight for what they believe they deserve.”
