A bill to make Juneteenth a state legal holiday was recently signed into law. Cities should examine their policies or collective bargaining agreements to see if updates are needed to comply with the legislation.

As some readers may be aware, the Governor signed into law a bill making Juneteenth (June 19) a state legal holiday starting in 2022, making the holiday a paid holiday for state workers. As some cities have adopted the state’s paid holiday schedule as their own, they may need to reopen their holiday policies or bargain with their unions to account for the change.

Juneteenth grew out of the events of June 19, 1865 when the Union Army arrived to occupy Galveston, Texas following the Civil War. It was the first day that the African American slaves being held in the city learned of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the war, and their subsequent freedom from slavery. The Juneteenth holiday is celebrated officially to varying degrees across the United States, especially in the former Confederate states where large African American populations have a long history of celebrating the day as a “Second Independence Day.” The holiday has also evolved to include celebrations of Black American culture and to encourage participation in civic life. There is a push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday as well.

Cities are permitted to recognize their own list of holidays through adoption of ordinances, personnel policies, or including them in collective bargaining agreements. If your city is considering updating its holiday policy to include Juneteenth, some useful resources from MRSC can be found here. If the state holiday schedule is part of any collective bargaining agreements, cities may need to bargain with their unions as to how to account for the recent addition to the state holiday schedule.