Plata Court Extends Vaccination Deadline to January 12, 2022 for CDCR/CCHCS Institutional Workers

SEIU Local 1000 is fighting back against unfair vaccine rules being imposed by the State, which ignore the requirement to give notice and to bargain. The Union is taking this fight to the Federal court and to the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). In court, after we filed amicus briefs to protect our state workers’ bargaining rights, on October 27, 2021, the Plata Court delayed the deadline by which all CDCR/CCHCS institutional employees would need to be fully vaccinated until January 12, 2022.  The Judge specifically noted that this would give the State sufficient time to engage in the meet and confer process with state employee unions such as SEIU Local 1000.  

In September 2021, the Court in the Plata case granted SEIU Local 1000’s request to allow us to participate as an amicus curie, as the State continued to escalate vaccine mandates for CDCR/CCHCS employees. Local 1000 argued in our amicus brief that the Court could not unilaterally order a vaccine mandate for CDCR/CCHCS employees because the State had to negotiate with the Union over the impact of such a policy before it could become effective. 

Consistent with the Union’s arguments, in September, 2021, the Court required the vaccine mandate policy to allow for religious or medical exemptions.

The Union continues to battle over the State’s threats to discipline workers who decline the vaccine without a religious or medical exemption in place. In October 2021, CDCR/CCHCS abruptly issued a discipline policy for unvaccinated employees without proper notice to the Union and the right to bargain. The Union immediately filed an unfair practice charge at PERB demanding expedited review.  On October 29, 2021, PERB issued a complaint against CDCR/CCHCS for their improper unilateral conduct in violation of the Union’s bargaining rights.  

While the vaccination deadline has been extended, SEIU Local 1000 continues to fight on all fronts to secure its bargaining rights and legal exemptions from vaccine mandates. State health care workers in other settings are not affected by this extension.

To read the Amicus Briefs and PERB complaint, click here.