The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1000, the state’s largest union of public employees, has reached a tentative deal with the state of California. The agreement was announced on the union’s website on the morning of August 21, 2023.

In its statement, the union said details of the terms will be released as the bargaining team “works to assemble literally hundreds of individual agreements and prepares for presenting the tentative agreement to the membership for ratification.”

The agreement comes after months of tense negotiations and labor actions that last week culminated in a public letter from five senators and 21 assemblymembers to Governor Gavin Newsom, urging him to reach a deal by the legislative cutoff on September 1, The Sacramento Bee reported.

“Delaying this process could place thousands of California public workers at risk of a pay cut of thousands of dollars for at least 6 months before session resumes. We know that a simple loss of $300 can shift a Californian into homelessness. Therefore, we ask that you to take action now,” the letter read.

Ten percent raise for SEIU members

The three-year contract, if ratified, offers a 10% pay raise to be delivered incrementally over the three years of the contract, starting with a July 1, 2023 adjustment ranging from 2.5% up to 15.76% for some roles. The negotiated raise is less than the 30% the union initially proposed, but still higher than the state’s first counter of 6%.

“This agreement reflects our best efforts to respond to the priorities our members identified in town halls and bargaining surveys,” said Irene Green, SEIU Local 1000 Vice President of Bargaining. “In many ways, we’ve been able to achieve the respect, the protection, and the pay that we’ve been fighting for.”

The agreement also includes changes in working conditions and benefits, the statement read. After recommendation to ratify by the Local 1000 Statewide Bargaining Advisory Council (SBAC) at a yet-to-be-determined time, the tentative agreement will be sent to the legislature to vote on and approve of its inclusion in the state’s budget bill.

The governor will then approve of or veto the bill.

The SEIU’s victory comes while union leaders continue to fight other battles in the legislature, like the current face off with fast-food industry giants.