SACRAMENTO – Due to the economic impacts from COVID-19, thousands of state workers are going to have to wait until 2022 before they get a pay raise.

During his May budget revise, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered state workers to take a 10 percent percent pay cut in order to help cover California’s $54 billion deficit.

 

What You Need To Know


  • Gov. Newsom ordered state workers to take a 10 percent pay cut

  • Thousands of state workers will have to wait until 2022 to get a raise

  • Starting July 2, state workers will work two days a month without pay

  • That time can be taken off at a later date

 

Starting July 1, those employees will also work two days a month without pay, but can take that time off at a later time.

Karen Jefferies, a member of SEUI Local 1000, California’s largest state worker union, said during her 22 years as a government employee, she’s become all too familiar with the uncertainty that comes every year during budget talks.

“Here we go again,” Jeffries thought when she heard about the Governor’s budget proposal. “I’ve been in this situation several times.” 

 

 

Jefferies, a program technician for the state, said the 10 percent pay cut seemed unfathomable at first.

“I’m very happy that we mitigated it down so it wasn’t so much of an impact,” Jefferies said. 

Instead of furloughing employees, Governor Newsom and SEIU Local 1000, which represents 96,000 state workers across California, agreed to use a personal leave program. For Jefferies, this means she won’t get paid two days per month for the next two years. Unlike furlough days, she can use her PLP days at her discretion. 

“This governor at least wanted to have a conversation,” said Jefferies. “He took more interest in his employees in asking, ‘This is what I need, how can this blow be lessened?’”

Jefferies explained it was refreshing to work with a leader who engaged in several conversations with her union, something she says she hasn’t experienced with previous administrations.

 

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“They just saw us as a line item in the budget. They basically said, furlough, that’s it. No conversation.” 

This time, she was part of several negotiations that led to a deal she’s satisfied with.  

“I feel a little bit more secure because before I was like, what’s going to happen next, and you just didn’t know and now I have something on paper and I feel optimistic,” added Jefferies. 

While she’s still losing 10 percent of her paycheck, Jefferies feels grateful to have a job and to have her voice heard.  

Officials project the agreements they’ve reached with government workers will help save the state close to $3 billion.