He was probably only a year into his first term as Governor, and still flying Southwest as his predecessor had done. I was traveling on behalf of my department and noticed him at an empty gate as I was walking by.
I was dressed nice for the meeting I was headed to in SoCal, so I decided to stop and introduce myself. He was sitting scrolling on his phone and the lone member of his security detail was about 20 feet away.

As soon as Gavin saw me approach him, I could tell he was super annoyed. I felt embarrassed and quickly introduced myself as a state government employee from the department I worked for.

He then became even more annoyed when I extended my hand out to shake his.

The encounter was so awkward that I quickly moved to break the tension and told him I had voted for him and that I hoped to see him in the White House someday.

Yes, I really did say that. LOL.

I used to live in LA and I’ve met many celebrities. But this was different. This was clearly someone who felt he was better than me and didn’t know how to hide it. Someone who couldn’t tolerate being bothered by an underling, even if I did indirectly work for him. Someone who was annoyed that he had to touch my filthy hand.

I‘ve thought about that encounter a lot recently and about how he’s treated us all lately. He’s no Clinton or Obama. I hope everyone sees the real Newsom on the campaign trail.

Enjoy!

Unofficial summary from my recording and the Zoom Q&A. I missed the first few minutes.

TL;DR

• Mediation with the state is this Friday, 10/30.
• Being coded AWOL for the strike day does not, by itself, mean discipline. Report anything beyond that to the MRC: 866-471-7348.
• The union is preparing more ULP charges against the state.
• New “bad boss” campaign targeting CalHR leadership. 
• No new strike vote would be needed for future action, according to leadership.

Strike recap

• Leadership thanked everyone for turning out across the state. They mentioned Sacramento, Oakland, SF, Fresno (plus Bakersfield members bussed in), Norwalk, downtown LA, San Bernardino, San Diego, and rural sites like Susanville, Eureka, Lancaster, Crescent City, and Blythe. Lots of legislators, local officials, and other unions joined.
• Leadership said “tens of thousands” were on picket lines.
• The strike got hundreds of print, TV, and radio stories and national social media attention.
• The state asked PERB to stop the strike over the no-strike clause. PERB declined, and everyone who struck still has their job.

Bad boss campaign: CalHR

• Leadership says CalHR Director Monica Erickson is behind the anti-union tactics before the strike: stalling line pass negotiations, delaying info on who was exempt, and sending intimidating memos.
• Members disrupted a CalHR conference in Sacramento today to demand CalHR stop intimidating workers and bargain fairly. Video is on the union’s socials.
• There’s a form on the website to send a message directly to the CalHR director.
• More actions like this are planned. 

AWOL, timesheets, and pay

• CalHR told departments to code strike participation as AWOL or dock. There’s no statewide code, so follow your supervisor/department’s direction.
• Don’t use union leave (UT) codes. The union told the state it wouldn’t use union leave for the strike.
• You won’t be paid for the strike day unless you used pre-approved vacation or were an essential worker on the line pass list.
• You were not required to notify your manager that you were striking.
• Payroll cutoff was the 22nd, but they don’t expect paychecks to be delayed. They admitted this is new territory and there may be variation between departments.
• AWOL alone isn’t discipline. If your manager threatens you, notes it on your IDP, disciplines you, or treats you differently because you struck, call the Member Resource Center: 866-471-7348 (or search “MRC” at seiu1000.org).

Getting counted

• If you withheld your labor but couldn’t sign in at a picket line, you can let the union know through the contact form: https://www.seiu1000.org/contact-us/

Unfair practice charges
Legal is preparing additional charges about:

• CalHR stalling line pass negotiations and giving incorrect info
• Threatening messages sent to workers about striking
• Whether the AWOL coding is retaliation or interference, compared with a dock code or some other code

They expect to file these in the coming days and weeks.

Mediation (Friday 10/30)

• Bargaining is each side making proposals to the other. In mediation, a professional mediator assigned by PERB goes back and forth between the sides to find the sticking points.
• The union is required to take part in good faith, but said that doesn’t mean settling for less. Hundreds of proposals are still unresolved.
• Leadership said they see signs the state still doesn’t intend to bargain seriously. One mediation day won’t fix everything.
• More mediation sessions after Friday are possible, depending on what the mediator thinks would help.
• Mediation has strict confidentiality agreements, so updates may be limited. Leadership said the state pushes these agreements and the union pushes back. They did say that where things stand now is not something they’d bring to members for ratification.
• Pressure campaigns, ULPs, and political work continue alongside mediation.

Future strikes

• Asked whether another strike would need a new vote, leadership said no: the authorization members already approved covers it. They’ll keep members informed about next steps.
• They were careful about saying more publicly for legal reasons.

Sympathy strikes

• A member asked about a non-member coworker from another union who refused to cross the line. PERB and the Labor Code recognize sympathy striking, but it depends on that union’s contract language. That coworker should contact their own union.

Politics and the governor’s race

• Election Day is Nov 3. The union’s endorsements are on the website.
• In the Q&A, the union confirmed it endorsed Xavier Becerra for governor. They said:
  • They’re in conversations with him and his team.
  • He’s committed to honoring the contract or any agreements made.
  • He’s spoken publicly in support of telework.
• Asked whether Becerra would rescind the RTO executive order (EO N-22-25), the answer was that he’s “fully aware of our priorities.” There was no confirmed commitment.

What they’re asking members to do

• Bring the strike energy into your worksites. Become a steward, hold managers to the contract, and report violations.
• Talk to non-member coworkers and get them to join, and talk to coworkers who didn’t strike. “We struck and still have jobs” is the message for those concerned about job security.
• Make sure you’re getting union texts and emails, and follow the union on social media for mediation updates.
• Download the new Zoom backgrounds and flyers from the website.
• Vote by Nov 3.

CalHR is filth. Literally the most useless department that hurts workers.

If they don’t want to be bothered, then they can play ball. Pretty simple.

Let’s keep annoying them until they decide to give us a fair contract.

And for those of you who clutch your pearls and hide behind respectability politics: Beat it. Got no time for teacher’s pets.

I saw another post from an anti-union Redditor whining and crying about some brave folks making their presence known at a CalHR conference.

1. strikes and other forms of demonstration are generally supposed to be disruptive to have an impact.
2. Quite frankly, CalHR has pulled off far worse STUNTS.

Like reneging on CAPS’ contractually obligated raises and secretly NOT informing the Legislature.

The Legislators were PISSED at CalHR’s stunt.

CalHR has also been slapped down by PERB multiple times for certified unfair labor practices.

So CalHR is the one to initiate playing dirty and being a child.

**As some folks say, “When they go low, we go with the flow”**

(Google it since I can’t post political links in this sub)

Due to the nature of hiring in my office, I’m one of the few employees who doesn’t have a 50-mile exemption, and I’m the only one on my specific team without one. Because I’m physically in the office and readily available, more work seems to be directed my way by leadership, who are also in the office.

Is anyone else dealing with this? I feel like I’m being penalized twice. Not only do I have to absorb the additional time, expense, and inconvenience of commuting, but I also seem to be taking on more work simply because I’m physically present. Meanwhile, my teammates with exemptions don’t have to deal with the same commute or, seemingly, the same level of in-office demands.

It feels unfair to be disadvantaged both in terms of commuting and workload just because I’m required to be in the office. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, how have you handled it?

It didn’t occurs to me until 5 minutes ago, but we always get paid basically concurrent with submitting our hours. It appears that they are disconnected processes. Sometimes if I forget, I get paid before I even submit my hours.

So I assume our checks are going to be in the full amount, and then we all have to deal with an accounts receivable?

Still worth it. I’m just curious.

What Union say in the ask officer call tonight? I have missed that.

Where the heck is it? I registered and didnt get the link emailed

I have also heard this from friends at other departments. This can’t be right. I see some union codes as well like Union Time Off or something like that. Please advise.

The union told us to ask our supervisors but ostensibly, by supervisor and executive assistant has been coached to have us burn vacation time.

I don't remember where I read this, but if you didn't strike because you thought you weren't protected since you don't pay Union dues, that's not the case. We all have Union protection/job security even if we don't pay dues. I had a coworker say they aren't a member and didn't want to become one just to strike (their view, not mine), and then happened to read that somewhere. In case you or someone you know thinks that is the case, it is not.

FTB IT department reporting in 4 days a week? Looks like there’s a mass exodus with the amount of positions posting

How do you go about bringing attention to a horrible manager? (One manager in particular, they are a higher level supervisor)They are controlling, micro managing, not flexible with any staff, unapproachable and have brought the morale down SO MUCH. They walk around with a mug all day, don’t acknowledge their staff, barely speaks to them and is in everyone’s business behind the scenes. They are making all managers lives miserable. They don’t allow any feedback on procedural updates, anyone who has a differing opinion is reprimanded. Have never felt so unhappy.

I am in a BU, rank and file, in a small agency, started about a year ago (passed probation with flying colors, yay) and chose sick/vacation leave benefits. I try to use up my PDD, PLP, PH days to try and save up my sick days in case I ever need them. I am in my mid-forties after all and the health issues are starting to show up. At this point, I have about 100 sick leave hours and about 75 vacation leave hours. I plan on working at the state for another 20 years... I may switch to annual leave at some point once I max out the sick leave hours.

My question: Is there any point in saving up vacation leave hours? My agency currently allows us to use them at the end of our work time, prior to retirement (save now, be paid out later at a higher salary). But, I want to enjoy life now also - no knowing what may happen from day to day! I have a 403b retirement plan from my prior job that will help supplement the state pension. I know unused sick leave can be turned into service credits. Is there anything else I should be thinking about to prepare for the end of a state career? Thanks in advance.

I'm hoping some current or former state hiring managers or HR staff might be able to shed some light on a situation I've just encountered.

I applied for a position earlier this year and advanced through two rounds of interviews. My references were contacted, including my former supervisor, so I had reason to believe I was under serious consideration. Yesterday, I received a notice that the recruitment had been canceled and the position would be readvertised.

I looked at the new posting, and it's the same position number, same branch, and essentially the same duties, but the desirable qualifications and SOQ requirements have changed noticeably. The original posting emphasized process improvement, leadership, and organizational efficiency, while the new one places greater emphasis on scientific research, technical analysis, and regulatory enforcement.

I'm trying to understand what might have happened behind the scenes:

• What typically causes a department to cancel and readvertise a recruitment after reaching the reference-check stage?
• Could this indicate that HR or the hiring unit determined the original recruitment criteria weren't appropriate for the position?
• Is it possible that the hiring panel wanted to select someone but encountered an administrative or procedural obstacle?
• Does a change in desirable qualifications suggest that the department is looking for a different candidate pool?
• Would you recommend that a candidate who advanced this far reapply?

I know nobody outside the hiring unit can tell me exactly what happened, and that there may be several possible explanations, but I am trying to understand how these situations arise and whether there's anything useful I can infer from the readvertisement.

It's been a long job search, and getting this far only to have the entire recruitment canceled has been very demoralizing so I'd appreciate any insight from people familiar with the process.

UPDATE!!!: Unit contact got back to me and said that HR identified procedural issues with the hiring process and determined that the hiring manager needed to restart the recruitment, and encouraged me to reapply. Here I was browbeating myself and wondering if I'd screwed up, but it looks like it's genuinely the agency's fault. Back into the breach I go!

I was offered a position as an Auditor I and Accountant Trainee for two different departments. Of the two, which seems to be the better option in terms of work-life balance, pay, and opportunities for advancement?

Thanks in advance!

If Newsom refuses to give CalHR authority to negotiate a reasonable contract, even a 1-year contract with a decent COLA, I hope we strike a second time while Newsom is still in office.
A second one-day strike would be the best way we could send Newsom out the door, and send a message to the incoming governor who will be sworn-in January 5, 2027.

This has happened twice so far and I want to see what people think. Back in June I interviewed with EDD for the OTG position - I haven’t heard from them since, but we know how slow the process can be but I don’t have expectations given it’s literally almost November - and recently I saw that the same department and the same manager, posted another OTG position but under a different position number. The job listing has since closed, but I thought it was interesting but it is possible more OTGS have since left since I interviewed.

Back in September, I interviewed for CDSS for the OTG position and the interview went really well. Yesterday, I discovered the same thing but didn’t check the position number.

Just out of curiosity, would you also think it’s possible more OTGS left since then and just wait for a response from the initial interview? I did consider re-applying but assuming they still have my interview scores on file, that’s probably too forward and too desperate. I’d like to hear what people think.

I’m in the hiring process for a therapist position at DSH and was told I’d have to do a drug test. Weed is legal here so I’m not sure if they actually test for it. Anyone who works there know?

I didn't have to notify him, right?

What do I do if there's disciplinary action?

Does anyone know why SEIU Local 1000 has a separate hearing scheduled for the Unfair Practice Charge / RTO when CAPS has the same UPC, which is further along in the process? If CAPS wins, does SEIU need to continue theirs, or can they drop it? Seems redundant.

Is anyone here recently interviewed with Calpers for Analyst I for contact center? I have an upcoming interview soon and would like to get some information. What kind of questions do they ask? How is the call center environment? Do you take calls back to back ? How long is the training if you get hired?

We need to reach out to Lee, Hoover, and others who may be bringing this type of bill back next year and let them know that it could make RTO worse for some state employees if it’s not fine-tuned.

My friend is in management and was told that if a bill like 1729 passes, the director of her department would bring everyone back for operational needs. She was told they would find a way to justify everyone being back, and potentially five days in the office.

I’m not an attorney but wondering what language potentially could change in a new version of the bill so there’s a better lock on maximizing teleworking.