On July 8, 2025, CalHR Director Eraina Ortega released the details of the excluded employee pay plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025. The CalHR letter reflects salary increases, personal leave program amounts, Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) prefunding retiree healthcare contribution changes, and vacation/annual leave cap increases for most excluded employees.
The amounts and details vary based on the related bargaining unit for each excluded employee. Most excluded employees will see a General Salary Increase (GSI) offset by a Personal Leave Program (PLP) consisting of a salary reduction in exchange for a number of monthly PLP leave hours. Most excluded employees will also see relief from paying the employee contribution to prefund retiree healthcare or OPEB, which appears as “CERBT” on pay warrants.
For example, excluded employees related to the nine-SEIU Local 1000 represented bargaining units (1, 3, 4, 11, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21) will see a 3% GSI offset by a 3% PLP salary reduction and five hours of monthly PLP leave. With this group of excluded employees also being relieved from their OPEB employee contribution of 3% (effective July 31, 2025), they will eventually see a roughly 3% increase in take home pay and accrual of 5 additional hours of leave through the PLP. Again, the pay package varies based upon the related bargaining unit for each excluded employee.
Vacation and annual leave caps are increased to reflect the additional leave accrued under the PLP program. CalHR also indicates that the telework stipend will end for excluded employees related to bargaining units 2, 9, and 19, but will continue for others. Other pay differentials will be applied to excluded employees “where appropriate.”
Not all adjustments will be reflected in the July 2025 pay warrants.
The pay plan for excluded employees related to bargaining units 10 and 16 has not been finalized as the underlying rank-and-file groups are continuing to negotiate for either a “side letter agreement” or a new memorandum of understanding. ACSS has advocated for CalHR to make appropriate adjustments for these excluded employees by relieving employees from the OPEB contributions and providing appropriate salary increases offset by a PLP.
As the Pay Letters and Pay Differentials are implemented, ACSS will ensure appropriate adjustments are made for excluded employees and will continue to advocate for CalHR to address ACSS’ pending salary compaction proposals.
The details of the CalHR pay plan can be viewed here.
If you have questions regarding the pay plan for 2025-2026, please reach out to your ACSS Labor Relations Representative.