Posts tagged remote work
State workers picket outside CalHR headquarters during SEIU 1000 negotiations
July 24, 2026 // Conversation about remote work comes as state workers are now required to work in-person at least four days a week in hopes of increased productivity. However, those opposed to in-person mandates point to cost savings. Assemblymember Alex Lee, D-San Jose, proposed a bill that would allow telework, citing improved air quality from fewer commutes and reduced office space needs bringing $225 million in potential savings. “We’re able to save the state billions of dollars when we have structural deficits,” Walls said. The topic was top-of-mind Wednesday as picketers held signs reading “Telework is not political,” “I’d rather be home working,” and “No RTO.”
Arbitrator restores telework for IRS workers
July 22, 2026 // The Internal Revenue Service withdrew from participating in the National Treasury Employees Union’s grievance against the agency for its 2025 return-to-office push in March, forcing independent arbitrator Christopher Shulman to conduct proceedings with management in absentia.
As Newsom’s return-to-office mandate is just one week away, state workers and unions continue pushback
June 29, 2026 // Governor's order requiring most employees in the office four days a week takes effect July 1 amid concerns over costs, staffing and workplace readiness
New Yorkers bracing for commuter chaos as LIRR workers remain on strike
May 17, 2026 // MTA Chairman Janno Lieber told reporters Sunday that the MTA refuses to make a deal that forces riders and taxpayers to fund wage increases for workers who, he contended, are already the highest-paid railroad employees in the nation. Nearly 300,000 daily commuters are affected by the strike, according to the MTA.
A quiet filing could decide what happens next inside one of gaming’s biggest studios
April 28, 2026 // From layoffs and return-to-office mandates to challenges around AI and creativity, it’s not all fun and games for video game workers. And now, some are seeking to unionize. On April 27, a group of game developers behind the digital collectible card game Magic: The Gathering Arena announced the intent to form a union in affiliation with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The group is a part of the gaming studio Wizards of the Coast (WOTC), a division of Hasbro.
Connecticut: Lamont’s Golden Age; Commentary
March 19, 2026 // A few days ago, CT Mirror reported that “The administration recently reached tentative, four-year agreements with 10 [union bargaining] units that collectively represent nearly 20,000 state employees [almost half the workforce].” Lamont released only wage increase information, nothing about reform of COVID-era remote work privileges. Lamont’s spokesman said “Because these negotiations are still underway, we are unable to provide additional comment.” Lamont wants union members to know he aims to give them four more years of robust 4.5% annual pay raises comprised of a 2.5% general wage increase (GWI) plus a 2.0% “step increase,” a deal identical to the one he gave them four years ago, which followed two years of 5.5% increases. These ten increases compound to about 60%.
UC-wide strike averted after tentative agreement with UAW
March 16, 2026 // A UC systemwide strike will likely be averted after UAW and the University of California reached a tentative agreement Friday after seven months of negotiations. UAW 4811, the union that represents 48,000 student employees, postdocs and academic researchers across the UC system, announced the tentative agreement in an email Friday night.
Union proposes 100% remote work as California state workers resume negotiations
March 14, 2026 // As California’s labor negotiators and state worker unions resume discussions over the governor’s return-to-office order, SEIU Local 1000 is making significant demands: full-time telework for eligible workers and free parking for employees who are required to be in person.
California union pushes work-from-home bill as Newsom calls state employees back to the office
February 10, 2026 // The legislative proposal by the California union known as PECG would require state agencies to offer telework options “to the fullest extent possible” and mandate they disclose how much money they save by allowing remote work.
The D.N.C. Ordered Workers Back to the Office. Its Union Isn’t Pleased.
November 19, 2025 // The fact that some employees of certain Democratic campaigns and organizations have unionized has caused some quiet consternation among party leaders, even as the party broadly embraces organized labor. Just days before President Trump’s inauguration this year, the Congressional Progressive Staff Association wrote a letter proposing a 32-hour workweek that was widely mocked.