State Scientists Win a Tentative Agreement with the State!
When We Fight, We Win!
Highlights of the Side Letter Tentative Agreement
- INCREASED 2025 Special Salary Adjustments (SSAs) for those not at the top step from 3.0 to 3.5%.
- PROTECTED the 2025 SSAs for those at the top-step
- Personal Leave Program (PLP) with a 3.5 % salary reduction in exchange for 6 hours per month for a total period of 21 months
- PROTECTED the 2026 raises for everyone
- IMPROVED telework rights and protections
- SUSPENDED Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) contributions, putting more money directly into our paychecks
What this means:
- The increase to the 2025 SSA for those not at the top step was secured by converting our telework stipend into income that will continue to grow our earnings over time and be included in your retirement calculations.
- If ratified by CAPS-UAW members and the legislature, the PLP program, suspension of OPEB, and ending of the telework stipend will take effect the payroll period following full ratification. This would likely be October, due to legislative timelines.
You can read the Tentative Agreement here.
Next Step: Ratification
This Tentative Agreement includes significant economic provisions. The elected CAPS-UAW Bargaining Committee and Executive Board voted unanimously to approve the Tentative Agreement. Now it is up to all union members to ratify it before it can go into effect.
The vote will be open from Monday, August 25 through Friday, August 29. Only union members will be able to participate in the vote. If you are not a member yet, sign up to join here.
Town Halls
See the presentation shared at Side Letter Tentative Agreement Town Halls here.
FAQs: Side Letter Tentative Agreement
What is the Side Letter Ratification Vote about?
The Legislature and Governor decided not to fund state workers’ raises in the 2025 Budget Act. Because of this, State Scientists and the State began bargaining over solutions to address this lack of funding for the fiscal year 2025/26. On August 14, the CAPS-UAW Bargaining Committee and the State reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) on a Side Letter. This Side Letter, if ratified, would protect (and increase!) State Scientists’ 2025 and 2026 salary increases that were negotiated in the 2024-2027 MOU, implement a PLP program, suspend OPEB contributions to increase scientists’ take-home pay, and more.
CAPS-UAW members will decide to ratify, or not, the Side Letter Tentative Agreement, in a democratic vote that will be open from Monday August 25 until Friday August 29.
What is Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025)?
PLP 2025 was created to meet Governor Newsom’s demand for cost savings for Fiscal Year 2025 as a result of the 2025 Budget Act. PLP hours are used just like vacation and annual leave hours, and can be cashed out if scientists separate from state service. This TA includes PLP 2025 where State Scientists will receive 6 hours of PLP 2025 for 3.5% reduction in pay effective the first pay period following the ratification by both parties.
Are salary increases impacted?
For 2025: No, the 2025 Special Salary Adjustments that State Scientists won in the 2024 MOU are protected. CAPS-UAW is the only union that was able to negotiate an increase of the 2025 salary raise. This Tentative Agreement includes an INCREASE for those not at the top of your salary range, from 3.0% to 3.5%.
Due to the PLP 2025 program State Scientists may not “see” (the full extent) of this raise in their final take home pay. But, our 2025 raises are in effect and count towards retirement calculations, overtime, and contribute to future earnings.
For 2026: No, CAPS-UAW is the ONLY union to protect the July 1, 2026 salary increases. The 2025 Budget Act only impacted the 2025/26 fiscal year. If the Legislature does not fund 2026/27 fiscal year salaries, CAPS-UAW and the State may open bargaining at that time.
What is OPEB and how does suspending OPEB contributions increase take-home pay?
Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) are contributions by both state workers and the State to fund health benefits for state retirees. These OPEB contributions will be suspended during the period of the PLP program – virtually every state worker union has agreed to suspend OPEB contributions. Effectively, you will see a 2.1% increase in your take-home pay.
Are the differentials in our MOU protected?
Yes! The differentials in our MOU including longevity pay, geographic pay, fire mission, and education pay are not impacted by the Side Letter. Per the MOU, State Scientists with 19 years of state service will even receive a higher longevity pay differential, of 4%, effective July 1, 2025.
What happens if the membership does not ratify the Side Letter TA?
If members do not ratify the Side Letter TA, then there is no Side Letter agreement. In other words, no raises, no PLP, and no OPEB suspension. The CAPS-UAW Bargaining Committee would return to negotiations with the State, but the timeline and outcome of that are unclear.
What does the ratification process look like?
Next Monday, August 25 the ratification vote will open at 8am. Electronic ballots will be sent to members via personal email and text message. The vote closes on Friday, August 29 at 5pm. Only CAPS-UAW union members can vote. If you’re not a member yet, you can fill out a membership card by Sunday August 24, 5pm to receive a ballot for the ratification.
Concurrently, both houses of the Legislature and the Governor will ratify to approve the CAPS-UAW Side Letter TA. There have been no issues approving side letters for other unions.
Once the Side Letter TA has been ratified by State Scientists and the Legislature, and signed into law by the Governor, the Side Letter will go into effect.
Once again, this Governor’s administration is desperately trying to fix the shortcomings of the State’s budget on the backs of State civil servants. Members fought incredibly hard for the current rank-and-file contract, with wins that have also introduced increased benefits and new pay differentials for BU10 Supervisors and Managers. Now the State is proposing to go backward. This is unacceptable. Together, we will demand the State honor our contract we fought to win.
State Scientists deserve respect. Every day, we go to work to protect public health, the environment, and California communities. Respecting State Scientists includes respecting our contract. Especially ironic is the Governor’s administration’s costly RTO mandate in the context of a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, while proposing state workers take cuts in the name of financial responsibility. State Scientists will fight against this hypocrisy and defend our contract, the work we do, and the people of California.
It’s up to every State Scientist to stand together in our fight for respect. Whether you are a rank-and-file scientist, a supervisor or manager, by joining your union, CAPS-UAW, you strengthen State Scientists’collective power to enforce rights, benefits, and protections, fight for better working conditions, and demand the respect that every State Scientist deserves!
In Solidarity,
CAPS-UAW Executive Board
Jacqueline Tkac, President
Hannah Johnson, Financial Secretary
Carina Grove, Recording Secretary
Mia Roberts, Director-at-Large
John Downs, Director-at-Large
Jessy Fierro, District I Director
Alex Rangel, District II Director
Esther Tracy, District III Director
Robert Haerr, District IV Director
Monty Larson, District V Director
Daniel Ellis, Supervisory Director
Through our collective actions, California State Scientists reached an agreement with the state to suspend the administration’s 4-day Return to Office (RTO), with no strings attached on July 8, 2025. Together, we committed to protecting our rights and refused to trade the RTO delay for salary cuts.
What this means for BU 10 State Scientists:
- 4-day RTO is suspended through June 30, 2026
- All telework agreements that were altered to comply with EO-N-22-25 will revert back to their status as of March 2, 2025
- Departments shall rescind any existing Return-to-Office (RTO) notices and updated policies tied to Executive Order N-22-25 issued on or after March 3, 2025
- All departments are prohibited from changing their telework policies for the next 90 days
- If needed, we will bargain over the reinstitution of the Executive Order before the expiration of this agreement
- CAPS-UAW will withdraw our unfair practice charge (PERB Case No. SA-CE-2283-S). This does not prevent us from pursuing future legal action if the state acts unfairly.