The State of California is requiring current telework employees to return to the office. This decision affects thousands of workers who have adapted to or accepted remote work positions.

“The administration wants to continue to reap telework’s benefits for the employees and for the state,” said former Government Operations Agency Secretary Yolanda Richardson in a 2021 video address to state managers, “by making sure we encourage as much telework as possible while still meeting our mission to serve Californians.”

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has urged Governor Gavin Newsom to require state workers to come back to the office to boost the local economy while many of us are struggling to afford our basic needs. 

“I will shout to the rooftops to the governor and to other state leaders that the state should bring all of their state workers back downtown,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said.

If Governor Newsom truly wants to ensure the mental and economic well-being OF CALIFORNIA’S EMPLOYEES, they will give state workers the option to work in the office if that is their choice. Many of us have altered our lives around jobs that allowed for telework. If we are forced to return to the office, the BROWN BAG BOYCOTT will begin. Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Governor Newsom need to find a way to stimulate the local economy that isn’t at the expense of the people who keep the state running.

Requiring these workers to return to or begin working from the office not only disrupts their established routines but also ignores the proven benefits and preferences for remote work. We urge California's decision-makers not only consider these facts but also listen to state workers who wish to maintain their current working conditions. Please sign this petition and support our call for continued flexibility in our working arrangements.