Gov. Gavin Newsom is moving forward with his plan to bring California state employees back to in-person work, rejecting union appeals to scale back a mandate they say could drive a “mass exodus” from the workforce.
Under the long-delayed executive order, about 100,000 state workers will be expected to report to an office or field assignment four days a week beginning July 1, with telework limited to one day.
The directive has drawn growing resistance from labor groups and rank-and-file employees, but Newsom has signaled that the administration is not changing course.
When asked directly whether he would consider loosening the four-day in-office requirement, the governor gave an unequivocal answer.
“No chance.”
He reinforced that position moments later during a call with KCRA, saying, “It’s ridiculous, four days a week.”
The requirement is scheduled to take effect next month as the state moves ahead with the broader rollout of the previously postponed order.
The renewed push comes shortly after Newsom and Democratic lawmakers finalized California’s budget, though the governor stressed that the return-to-office policy was not part of those budget negotiations.
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The showdown is already escalating with SEIU Local 1000, the state’s largest employee union, which has warned the mandate could spark a wave of departures if enforced.
Union leadership argues workers have successfully kept state government running under hybrid schedules since the pandemic and see no justification for the stricter requirement.
SEIU representatives have also pointed to growing frustration among employees, some of whom say they may opt for retirement rather than return to offices four days a week.
Anica Walls of SEIU 1000 said the policy could push already “teetering” workers over the edge.
“We have individuals who have been teetering retirement, who look at this 4-days a week when they have been doing their job efficiently in a hybrid schedule will probably send them into a retirement,” said Anica Walls with SEIU 1000, in an interview with KCRA last week.
Workers have even taken the fight public, funding a Sacramento-area billboard warning the policy could increase state spending and worsen traffic congestion.
Newsom, meanwhile, suggested the political battle may outlast his own tenure, saying the next governor could ultimately be forced to confront or renegotiate the issue with SEIU.
The dispute lands amid broader workforce trends that continue to favor remote flexibility.
Data from Buffer and Forbes Advisor indicates roughly 98% of remote-capable professionals prefer to work remotely at least part of the time.
Studies from Gallup and Robert Half show between 75% and 94% of workers prefer hybrid or fully remote arrangements over traditional in-office jobs.
