The state shouldn't be allowed to drag out the bargaining process.

Why is the state allowed to drag things out for months to years on end for a contract negotiation? Why are they allowed to disrespect us while we wait for a third party filled with Newsom-appointed picks to determine if the state is negotiating in bad faith?

There is absolutely no reason for there to be zero caps on how long the state can take to respond and formulate counteroffers or come to a basic contractual agreement. This is about peoples' livelihoods and ability to survive.

When I was at the rally in Sacramento, I asked a few people throughout the crowd what they thought a reasonable amount of time was for a bargaining contract to be finalized once the previous one expires. Every single person answered either that it should be done by the date of expiration to no more than a few months past that. So I believe we need to push for legislation regarding how long contract negotiations should last, laying out specifically what determines an impasse, and a total maximum of time we have before a contract must be agreed upon after the previous one expires before impasse is automatically declared. Something like "contracts should be generally agreed upon within 30 days past prior expiration and finalized within 60 days" for example.

Doesn't the public love to hate on "government inefficiency"? Well, this is one *real* way to reduce inefficiency in favor of the workers. We deserve to be paid fairly and we deserve respect--and part of respect and fairness is timeliness. What do you all think?