The 2025-26 Budget: Concession Bargaining

May 19, 2025 - The product of negotiations at the bargaining table is a labor agreement referred to as a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU establishes the terms and conditions of employment for employees represented by a particular bargaining unit.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5047

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 6 (Corrections)

Sep 7, 2023 - As such, the normal cost for the benefit earned by employees is the best estimate of the value of the employer-provided benefits earned today by employees and therefore the best way to compare pension benefits across employers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4800

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 12 (Craft and Maintenance)

Jun 27, 2025 - Maintaining regular and full payments to prefund the benefit is the best option to meet the policy goal of fully funding the benefit. Budget Three-Party Budget Deal Assumes Savings from State Employee Compensation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5060

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 9 (Professional Engineers)

Jun 27, 2025 - Under state law, vacation or annual leave is considered a form of wages that is vested when earned. As such, employers cannot adopt a “use it or lose it ” policy for earned employee vacation and annual leave whereby unused vacation or annual leave above a certain level is forfeited at the end of the year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5061

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 8 (Firefighters)

Aug 19, 2025 - Employees in different bargaining units who have similar jobs (for example, public safety classifications like peace officers and firefighters) earn compensation packages with similar components. For example, while the specific structure of the benefit varies, public safety employees generally earn pension benefits that are designed to offer a higher annuity to retirees at an earlier age.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5066

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 16 (Physicians, Dentists, and Podiatrists)

Jul 14, 2025 - However, the benefit earned by the employee is based on their full (not reduced) salary. Accordingly, during furloughs, the state systematically underfunds its pensions —contributing to larger unfunded liabilities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5064

Strengthening the CalSTRS Funding Plan

Mar 10, 2021 - Appendix Glossary of Key Terms Related to Pension Funds Throughout this report, we refer to terms commonly used when describing pension funds. We define those key terms here, in reference to the California State Teachers ’ Retirement System (CalSTRS).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4400

The 2023-24 Budget: Total Compensation Studies

May 24, 2023 - For example, the retirement benefits earned by state employees varies significantly depending on an employee ’s date of hire. A compensation study should compare wages but also should attempt to quantify the value of most of the ancillary benefits earned by employees in an effort to compare the value of total compensation earned by employees.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4773

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 5 (Highway Patrol)

Aug 23, 2024 - State-employed peace officers earn their benefit under one of two plans: Peace Officers and Firefighters (POFF) or Highway Patrol. While all other peace officers employed by the state earn the POFF benefit, CHP officers earn the Highway Patrol pension benefit.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4920

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of the Care Economy Workforce Development Package

Mar 10, 2022 - While the administration references these workforce needs as part of its proposal, the administration does not provide a comprehensive assessment of statewide workforce needs across the care economy.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4572