This California state worker union demanded 30% raises. See what the state offered instead

As state lawmakers haggle over the next iteration of the budget, members of California’s largest state worker union are scrambling to finalize a new contract before their current deal expires Friday — the same day as the state’s budget deadline.

Service Employees International Union Local 1000 proposed a 30% pay raise over the life of a three-year contract, with state workers earning a 12% bump in the first year and 9% in the second and third years. The union represents about 100,000 workers in jobs as diverse as prison librarians, janitorial staff and educators at California’s schools for the deaf and blind.

Facing an estimated $32 billion budget shortfall, the state offered 2% raises each year for a total of 6% overall — an offer that members of the bargaining team called “insulting.”

“The offer the state has made is appalling,” Irene Green, the union’s vice president for bargaining, said. “Many of the state’s employees are enduring economic insecurity, and many state workers are one paycheck away from becoming unhoused or unsheltered.”

Camille Travis, deputy director of communications for CalHR, said the department does not comment or share proposals for ongoing negotiations.

SEIU Local 1000 has long pushed for its members to receive significant raises but the union’s proposal marks an unprecedented ask. The last contract gave Local 1000 members a 7% pay raise over the course of three-and-a-half years.

Some state workers have said their government salaries fail to cover basic needs, such as rent, food and utilities. The union points to high inflation as a justification for the proposed increase even if past state deficits have necessitated cuts in spending.

A study released in March, which was commissioned by the union and conducted by the UC Berkeley Labor Center, found that many Local 1000 members were struggling financially, particularly women, Black and Latino employees. The study found that nearly 70% of the union’s members fail to earn a wage high enough to support themselves and at least one child.

State worker raises generally kept pace with inflation prior to 2008, according to a Sacramento Bee analysis of data from the California Department of Human Resources. But after the Great Recession hit, workers in most bargaining units saw their pay stagnate and their purchasing power fall. Some workers were just starting to see their contract raises catch up with inflation when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and consumer prices soared to historic levels.

California has previously asked workers to take pay cuts in the form of furloughs and personal leave programs during tough budget years. Gov. Schwarzenegger’s “furlough Fridays” forced most state employees to stay home two to three days per month without pay.

The last time the state faced a large deficit in 2020, Newsom used a furlough-like program to cut state worker pay for a year, giving public employees two days of paid leave per month in exchange.

Members of Local 1000 enrolled in CalPERS health insurance plans will lose a monthly $260 health care stipend when the contract expires at the end of this week, but the rest of the contract will remain in effect until a new agreement is struck.

Green said the state has yet to respond to additional economic proposals that the union has made, including special salary adjustments for specific job classifications.

“We implore the state to listen to its employees and respond with a proposal that affords its workers a decent living wage,” Green said. “We will continue to negotiate with the State in good faith, but Local 1000 is ready for whatever may come next.”