General FAQs

To use the Portal to open a new case or file a document in an existing case, you must sign up for an account. An account also gives you access to detailed information for the cases in which you are a party. You may sign up for a single-user account or a multi-user account. Please note that most users will need a multi-user account.

A multi-user account is recommended for organizations such as law firms or unions where multiple different individuals typically file documents in different cases or on behalf of different parties. You do not need an account to view basic case information or to search for public record documents. To learn how to access basic case information or documents without an account see the topic below.

Single-User Account

To create a single-user account, click here and select the Single-User option for Account Type. You will be asked to provide an e-mail address, your name, and your phone number. After you provide this information and accept the terms of use, you will receive a confirming e-mail message. Follow the instructions in the e-mail message to confirm your account and set a password. You may view the terms of use here.

Multi-User Account

For a multi-user account you will need to identify a single administrator for your organization who can assign administrator functions to other users in the organization. The administrator can then set up and maintain usernames and passwords for other individuals within the organization. This will allow all users in the organization to access all cases associated with that organization.

To create a multi-user account, click here and select the Multi-User option for Account Type. The administrator will be asked to provide an e-mail address, name, phone number, and name of the organization. The organization name must be unique. If the name you choose is taken, you can make it unique by adding specific information, e.g. SEIU 1000, SEIU 527, CTA Sacramento, CTA Stockton, DWK San Diego, DWK Sacramento, etc. After you provide this information and accept the terms of use, you will receive a confirming e-mail message. Follow the instructions in the e-mail message to confirm your account and set your password. You may view the terms of use here.

Once the account is created the administrator can sign in. Select the “My Organization” tab at the top of the page. To add users, select “Manage Users” and select the “Add User” green button. You may also manage case access and account information.

You must request portal access to a case before it will show up under your My Organization tab. You can request portal access when uploading a document to a case via the portal, by entering your party type and then checking the pop-up box that says “Request Access to Case?” Or, you may send an e-mail to PERB with the attorney’s name and e mail address and case numbers of any open cases with PERB. Portal access will be granted as soon as possible once a request is made. Once portal access is granted, you will receive a confirming e-mail and the case will show up under your My Cases/My Organization Cases.

To manage case access, select the “My Organization” tab at the top of the page. Then select "Manage Case Access" and enter either the users first name, last name, or email address. Once the user is found, select the "Add New Case" green button to add a case to their profile. To remove case access, follow the same steps above until the desired user is found. Select the case(s) you wish to remove and using the "Update Associations" drop down menu, you can select the "Delete the Case Associations".

A UPC case alleges a violation of one of the statutory Acts enforced by PERB.

Sign into your account. On the left side of the home page, under “Filings,” select “Unfair Practice Charge.” The Portal will display a form to fill out. Please note that it is no longer necessary to manually fill out the standard UPC form on PERB’s website. Instead you will input your party and contact information directly into the Portal.

After you input the information into the form, you are required to upload some or the below listed documents as one PDF attachment:

• Statement of the Charge (if not provided on the charge form)
• Any attachments
• Signed proof of service on the other party (required)

These documents must be filed in PDF format. The PDF cannot be locked or secured. The maximum size of any PDF attachment must be less than 25 MB. Please carefully review your document before submitting it to the Portal. At the bottom of the form you must check a box verifying that the information you provided is correct. You must also check a box stating that you agree you will serve all parties with the UPC and any attachments, in accordance with PERB Regulation 32140.

After you complete and submit the information to the Portal, you will receive an e-mail message confirming the date and time PERB received your document. The e-mail message will attach your UPC form and the other attachments you filed. You must then serve your UPC form, including all your attachments, and your signed proof of service, on the other party.

IMPORTANT: You are responsible for ensuring documents you file with PERB do not include highly sensitive information such as social security numbers, bank or financial account numbers, or the names of minor children. If documents containing such information are received, PERB must reject the filing.

For more information on filing a UPC click here.

Representation matters include petitions for recognition, certification, decertification, severance, amendment of certification, and unit modification. These petitions all concern methods of establishing or changing the exclusive representative of the bargaining unit and/or the composition of the bargaining unit.

Sign into your account. On the left side of the home page, under “Petitions,” there is a list of the different types of representation petitions that are available. Select the one that applies to your circumstances. The Portal will display a form to fill out. At the bottom of the form you must check a box verifying that the information you provided is correct. You must attach a completed proof of service form, and check a box stating that you agree to serve all parties with the petition and any attachments.

After you complete and submit the information to the Portal, you will receive an e-mail message confirming the date and time your document was received. The e-mail message will attach your petition and attachments that you filed. You must then serve the petition, including all your attachments with a signed proof of service, on the other party.

Some representation petitions require proof of support – signatures or authorization cards signed by employees. Proof of support documents are confidential. DO NOT serve proof of support documents on the employer or any other party. DO NOT upload proof of support documents to the Portal. Once your petition is submitted through the Portal, it will be assigned to a Regional Attorney, and the Regional Attorney will contact you directly to obtain the proof of support.

For more information on filing a Representation case click here.

Under the Educational Employment Relations Act (EERA) and the Higher Employer Employee Relations Act (HEERA), either party may request PERB to make an impasse determination. This is a determination by PERB that the parties’ bargaining over a dispute has resulted in an impasse, or stalemate. If PERB determines there is an impasse, then the matter is referred to a mediator. Impasse determinations are NOT available under the MMBA for MMBA-covered employers or unions.

Sign into your account. On the left side of the home page, under “Filings,” select “Impasse Request.” The Portal will display a form to fill out. At the bottom of the form you must check a box verifying that the information you provided is correct. You must attach a completed proof of service form and check a box stating that you agree to serve all parties with the petition and any attachments.

After you complete and submit the information to the Portal, you will receive an e-mail message confirming the date and time your document was received. The e-mail message will attach your impasse request and your attachments. You must then serve the petition, including all your attachments with a signed proof of service, on the other party.

For more information on filing an Impasse case click here.

Under the Meyers-Milias Brown Act (MMBA), an employee organization may request PERB to establish a factfinding panel to resolve a bargaining dispute.

Sign into your account. On the left side of the home page, under “Filings,” select “Factfinding.” The Portal will display a form to fill out. At the bottom of the form you must check a box verifying that the information you provided is correct. You must attach a completed proof of service form and check a box stating that you agree to serve all parties with the petition and any attachments.

After you complete and submit the information to the Portal, you will receive an e-mail message confirming the date and time your document was received. The e-mail message will attach your factfinding request and your attachments. You must then serve the petition, including all your attachments with a signed proof of service, on the other party.

Parties covered by EERA and HEERA may also request factfinding. However, factfinding requests under EERA and HEERA are a continuation of the impasse proceedings. Click here for a link to an EERA/HEERA Factfinding Request Form. There will already be an existing impasse case with a case number in the format SF-IM-1234-E. An EERA/HEERA factfinding request can be made by following the instructions below for “filing a document in an existing case.”

Sign into your ePERB Portal account.

For cases that you have portal access to, select “My Cases” or “My Cases/My Organization Cases” and locate your case. Click on “Add Document.” Select Filing Office, Party Type and Document Type (the Document Title is optional). A document must be uploaded as a PDF and cannot be secured. The maximum size of any PDF attachment must be less than 25MB.

You must attach a completed proof of service form to your document. When you upload your document to the portal in an existing case, the document will automatically be served on the other parties to the case when you click “submit”. You will then receive a response e-mail notifying you of the names and e-mail addresses of the parties served. It is the filing party’s responsibility to make sure the correct parties were served.

For cases that you do not have portal access to, select “Search ePERB Cases/File Document to Existing Case”. Click on “Add Document” and follow the instructions above. When you select Party Type, put a check mark in the box “Request access to Case?” and PERB will grant you portal access, usually within 24 hours and the next time it will show up under you My Cases/My Organization Cases.

Pursuant to PERB Regulations, documents may be filed from Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., excluding holidays. A filing received after 11:59 p.m. is deemed filed the next business day. The Portal will accept filings 24 hours a day. Filings received on weekends or holidays will be considered filed the next business day. Requests for injunctive relief, however, must be received by 5:00 p.m. or will be considered received the next business day pursuant to PERB Regulations.

PERB no longer requires parties to file copies of documents. Parties exempt from using ePERB (i.e., unrepresented individuals) must file original documents when filing in person, by U.S. Mail, or other delivery service.

All documents filed with PERB must be served on the other party or parties to the case. If a party has filed a Notice of Appearance in connection with a case, you must serve the person or attorney identified in the Notice of Appearance. A document is not considered filed unless and until there is proper proof of service on the other party.

Electronic service is preferred where possible. You may electronically serve a party if (1) the party has consented to electronic service by filing a notice with PERB, or (2) the party has used the Portal to electronically file a document in the case. If you are unsure if a party has consented to electronic service, you may call and ask the party, or contact the Board agent assigned to your case or a staff person.
As discussed above, you must serve the initial document in a case. You must serve documents by mail unless or until the party consents to electronic service. Where possible, it is a best practice to concurrently send the other party a courtesy copy by e-mail. When you file a document in an existing case, the portal will serve the document on the parties of record when you click “submit.” You still must include a proof of service form with your document.

You do not need to have an account to access basic case information. From the home page, at the tab at the top, select “Search ePERB Cases.” This will open a form with multiple fields you can fill-in to search all PERB cases. The quickest way to search is by case number. However, if you do not know the case number, you may search by case or party name, case type, or filing date. The search will provide the caption, date of filing, and current status of the case.

You may also search documents that have been filed with PERB. From the home page, at the tab at the top, select “Search Documents.” This will open a form with search fields, including case name, document name and keyword. The search will result in a list of publicly available documents meeting your search criteria . To obtain a copy of a document, send an e-mail message with the case number, name, and filing date of the document you would like to view. We are currently unable to post individual documents on our website.

Documents filed before November 4, 2019, may not be catalogued in the basic case information search feature. Accordingly, documents filed prior to that date may not turn up in a search. If you are seeking documents filed prior to November 4, 2019, send an e-mail message with as much information as you have, such as the case number, case name, approximate filing date, and/or description of the document. For more information on making public records act requests to PERB, click here.

If you are searching for a Board decision, use the search engine on our website here. The search engine will allow you to search by multiple fields, and you will be able to view the documents.

PERB administers nine public sector labor relations acts, covering the following groups of employees: (1) any person (except management and confidential employees) employed by a public school employer, including community colleges (EERA); (2) any person (except management, supervisory and confidential employees) employed by the University of California, the Hastings College of the Law, or the California State University (HEERA); (3) any civil service employee of the State of California, and the teaching staff of schools under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Education (excluding management, supervisory and confidential employees) (Dills Act); (4) any person employed by any public agency, including employees of cities, counties, charter counties, districts and other political subdivisions (MMBA), (except police officers, management employees, and employees of the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles); (5) trial court employees paid from the trial court’s budget and subject to trial court supervision (Trial Court Act); (6) trial court interpreters who are employed by the court and are not independent contractors (Court Interpreter Act); (7) supervisory employees employed by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (TEERA); and (8) Judicial Council Employer-Employee Relations Act (JCEERA); and (9) the Childcare Provider Act (CCPA), Orange County Transportation Authority employees, Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) employees and child care providers who participate in a state-funded early care and education program.

PERB does not have enforcement jurisdiction over Transit Districts organized under the Public Utilities Code, including LAMTA, or AC Transit. Some representation petitions for Transit Districts are covered by the division of State Mediation and Conciliation Service (SMCS). SMCS may be contacted here.

Private sector employees, such as those employed by private hospitals, factories, or corporations, are governed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Alleged violations of the NLRA must be filed with the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency charged with enforcing private sector labor relations.