Court Professionals Bargaining Update

On August 31, 2026, your UPE Court Professional Bargaining Team met again with Sacramento Superior Court to negotiate a new contract. August 31st was the expiration date for the current contract. The parties did not reach agreement but did schedule another session for Friday, September 4, 2026.

The two sides remain far apart on salary, the biggest issue. UPE continues to advocate for fair ongoing wage increases to help address the rising cost of living, while the Court continues to offer a one-time payment that UPE believes is insufficient. The Court could afford a 5% salary increase for the Court Executive Officer in 2025, but now says it cannot afford an ongoing raise of any amount for our members.

The Court finally responded to UPE's proposal to increase the number of vacation slots for Probate Investigators. The Court rejected UPE's proposal and offered only to update the policy to include the week of Thanksgiving and the week after July 4th. That's just 8 more days with two people off at a time. UPE rejected this proposal because it does not address our members' concerns. Management can take vacation whenever they want. Some of our members in the Investigator unit are currently earning more vacation in a year than they can take under the Court's policy. If these members are so important to Court operations, then the Court needs to find a way to compensate them. They can't have it both ways!

Friday's meeting will be critical, and members need to continue to prepare if further action is needed. If there is no meaningful progress on Friday, members should be ready for a possible strike vote!