All California state worker unions except for one reached pay-cut deals with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration by a Tuesday deadline, according to the Human Resources Department.

A group of about 1,000 workers who maintain the state’s heating, cooling and water systems, represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers, don’t have an agreement, CalHR spokesman Andrew LaMar said in an email.

Newsom and the Legislature imposed the deadline of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to reach deals that would reduce state workers’ pay by roughly 10 percent to help close a projected $54 billion budget deficit. Budget legislation included a provision to impose furloughs if agreements weren’t reached by the deadline.

Under the agreements that have been negotiated, most state workers will see their pay reduced starting this month by 9.23 percent, the equivalent of two days of work per month. In exchange, the workers receive two days of leave to use at their discretion. The personal leave program days were available starting July 1, LaMar said in an email.

The negotiated agreements moderate the hit to pay by suspending workers’ contributions to their retirement health care plans, which for most workers is in the range of 2% to 4% of pay.

LaMar said a furlough notice was sent to the HVAC workers’ union. He didn’t provide details on when the workers would be furloughed. He said an agreement could still be reached, but it would need to go through a more involved process than the agreements reached by the deadline.

Steve Crouch, the director of public employees for the International Union of Operating Engineers, declined to comment on why the union didn’t reach an agreement for the HVAC workers by the deadline.

The same union reached a one-year agreement for a different, larger group of workers it represents who maintain state buildings and roads.

The Human Resources Department has posted the administration’s agreements with SEIU Local 1000, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association and the Professional Engineers in California Government online.

The department has yet to post details of agreements with the California Association of Highway Patrolmen; California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges, and Hearing Officers in State Employment; California Statewide Law Enforcement Association; CAL FIRE Local 2881; California Association of Professional Scientists; Union of American Physicians and Dentists; California Association of Psychiatric Technicians; or the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

The attorneys’ union, the Statewide Law Enforcement Association and the scientists’ union each negotiated agreements with two personal leave program days, according to an interview, an email and a web post.

Like the other published agreements, those three agreements include the retirement health care suspension. The agreements include a range of other tweaks to pay.

LaMar said the rest of the agreements will be posted online “in the coming days.”

This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Just one California state union didn’t reach a pay-cut deal with Newsom by Tuesday deadline."