Newsom Pauses California RTO Order

California Governor Gavin Newsom has delayed his return-to-office mandate for California state workers following negotiations with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1000.

The executive order, which required state employees to return to in-person work four days a week starting July 1, 2025, has been postponed for at least one year.

The agreement with SEIU Local 1000, representing nearly 100,000 state workers, allows employees to continue hybrid work arrangements.

This decision comes after unions pushed back against the mandate, citing concerns over flexibility and work-life balance.

As part of the deal, a 3% pay raise, which was previously canceled, was reinstated. Workers also gained other benefits, such as an increase in personal leave and vacation time.

SEIU Local 1000 had opposed the RTO executive order since it was announced in March.

In a statement, the union said, “We’ve reached an agreement with the State that protects our raise, pauses the return to office order, and gives us a path to bargain again in 2026. Earlier this year, Governor Newsom and the State Legislature asked all unions to return to the table to address the state’s budget crisis. When they canceled our negotiated raise, SEIU Local 1000 pushed back.”