Assembly BillPassed first houseGovernment
AB 1582: Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act: collective bargaining: unfair labor practices.
What AB 1582 does, verified July 2, 2026
This bill adds a new section to the Government Code, relating to public employment. It aims to improve collective bargaining between higher education employers and employee organizations by addressing unfair labor practices. The bill makes it an unfair practice for an employer to circumvent or disregard an arbitrator's decision regarding the contracting out of bargaining unit work. This includes extending or renewing contracts, entering into new contracts, or violating terms already interpreted by an arbitrator. The bill also prohibits the Public Employment Relations Board from deferring repeat offenses to subsequent arbitration proceedings. In such cases, the board can award civil penalties of $1,000 per day. Additionally, the bill requires employers to cover the charging party's attorney's fees and costs in case of a violation.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 4. Noes 1.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on JUD. (2026-06-17)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions15 total · showing 5
| Jun. 17, 2026 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 4. Noes 1.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on JUD. |
| Jun. 08, 2026 | From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R. |
| Jun. 03, 2026 | Referred to Coms. on L., P.E. & R. and JUD. |
| May. 27, 2026 | In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. |
| May. 26, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 67. Noes 7.) |
Latest bill textAmended version, June 8, 2026 · 641 words
| Amended IN Senate June 08, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly May 18, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1582
| Introduced by Assembly Member Ortega (Coauthor: Assembly Member Garcia) |
January 13, 2026 |
An act to add Section 3571.01 to the Government Code, relating to public employment.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1582, as amended, Ortega. Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act: collective bargaining: unfair labor practices.
Existing law, the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act, administered by the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), provides for negotiations concerning wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment between a higher education employer, as defined, and representatives of recognized employee organizations. Existing law grants higher education employees the right to form, join, and participate in the activities of employee organizations of their own choosing for the purpose of representation on all matters of employer-employee relations and for the purpose of meeting and conferring with their employer.
Existing law authorizes an employer and an exclusive representative who enter into a written memorandum of understanding to agree to procedures for final and binding arbitration of disputes that may arise under the memorandum of understanding or between the parties. Existing law makes it unlawful for the higher education employer to, among other things, refuse or fail to meet and confer with an exclusive representative.
This bill would, with respect to arbitrations over violations of a collective bargaining agreement for the contracting out of bargaining unit work, make it an unfair practice for a higher education employer to, among other things, circumvent or disregard an arbitrator’s decision by extending or renewing an existing contract, contract or entering into a new contract for the same or similar services, services at the same location, or violating a contract term already interpreted by an arbitrator to prohibit the employer’s conduct.
This bill would prohibit PERB, among other things, from deferring repeat offenses in the above-described cases to subsequent arbitration proceedings. The bill would require remedies for a violation of these provisions to include the charging party’s attorney’s fees and costs.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 3571.01 is added to the Government Code, to read:3571.01.
(a) With respect to arbitrations over violations of a collective bargaining agreement that relate to the contracting out of bargaining unit work, it shall be an unfair practice for a higher education employer to do any of the following:(1) Fail or refuse to schedule an arbitration within a reasonable period of time after the union has appealed the matter to arbitration, unless the exclusive representative has placed the grievance in abeyance or the parties have agreed to do so.
(2) Fail or refuse to implement an arbitration award and remedy in full within 60 days of a decision on the merits.
(3) (A) Circumvent or disregard an arbitrator’s decision by extending or renewing an existing contract, contract or entering into one or more new contracts for the same or similar services, services at the same location, or otherwise violating the same contract term or terms already interpreted by an arbitrator to prohibit the employer’s conduct.
(B) In the cases described in subparagraph (A), the board shall not defer repeat offenses to subsequent arbitration proceedings.
(4) (A) Fail or refuse to remedy, in whole or in part, an arbitrator’s decision that remands the remedy to be determined by the parties.
(B) In the cases described in subparagraph (A), the board shall defer to the merits of the arbitration award but shall not defer disputes regarding the remedy to subsequent arbitration proceedings absent agreement of the parties.
(b) Remedies for a violation of this section shall include the charging party’s attorney’s fees and costs.
(c) Except as expressly set forth in this section, this section does not limit the board’s broad remedial authority.
Text of AB 1582 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions