California Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to require state workers to return to the office four days a week has been temporarily paused for one union. The Professional Engineers in California Government secured a one-year delay on the mandate as part of a new labor agreement, which also includes modest raises offset by unpaid time off to help address the state’s $12 billion budget deficit. The union will drop its lawsuit against the mandate, and lawmakers have expressed concern over the policy’s rollout. The pause could signal similar deals for other state worker unions with contracts expiring soon.
See "State workers get a reprieve from Newsom’s return-to-office mandate", Adam Ashton, CalMatters, June 24, 2025