From downtown to Los Angeles International Airport, thousands of city workers went on strike Tuesday for a 24-hour work stoppage prompted by what their union believes is a lack of good-faith labor negotiations, but municipal leaders said the city continued to operate — albeit with some disruptions.
The striking workers showed up overnight at City Hall, prompting a closure of some streets surrounding the iconic seat of municipal government. Early Tuesday morning, more workers began picketing at LAX, where some shuttle bus drivers were among those walking off the job, complicating travel for many people looking to catch flights. The picketing disrupted some traffic in the always-crowded LAX horseshoe, and clogged entrances to some terminals.
Ahead of a planned rally at City Hall at 11 a.m. Tuesday, union members addressed City Council members and urged them to ensure “fair labor negotiations.”
“We are here. You hear us outside. We’re tired of the disrespect when it comes to bargaining,” said Simboa Wright, vice president of the union and a wastewater collection worker with more than 20 years of city service. “We’re asking every last one of you as City Council members to assist and give the CAO (city administrative officer) authority to bargain (with us).”
Council President Paul Krekorian issued a statement Tuesday afternoon in response to the workers’ strike, insisting the city’s negotiating team has been engaged in “serious negotiations” with the Coalition of City Unions since January, including “36 separate sessions with SEIU alone.”
As a result of those negotiations, the unions and the city already reached 76 tentative agreements with coalition members, he said.
“The rising cost of living, particularly the cost of housing, is unquestionably creating financial strain on our city employees and all working Angelenos,” Krekorian said in a statement.
“We need to find solutions that will address that reality and demonstrate the respect and appreciation that those who serve the public deserve, while recognizing the very real limitations and future uncertainties of the city’s budget,” he added.
He said although Tuesday’s work stoppage is “regrettable,” the city will continue to negotiate in good faith with the coalition.
“I have every confidence that we will achieve a positive outcome,” Krekorian said in a statement. “Given the progress we have already made in these negotiations, and our commitment to reaching a fair deal, there is no reason to anticipate any prolonged work stoppage that would be detrimental to the people we serve.”
Thousands more union members convened outside City Hall with picket signs Tuesday afternoon.
City officials warned the public that the walkout by some 11,000 workers would lead to some service disruptions, but Mayor Karen Bass insisted ahead of the strike that “the city of Los Angeles is not going to shut down.”
Tuesday afternoon, she said in a statement that the city was weathering the walkout well.
“City services were impacted but continued today,” Bass said. “Public safety and homeless housing emergency services continue. City-operated summer camps and daycares are open. Services at LAX continue with limited impact to travelers. A number of public pools are open throughout the city. The Los Angeles City Zoo is open and so are our libraries. All of our animal shelters are open to the public and our 311 Call Center is taking calls. Trash pick up will resume tomorrow. Our Department of Transportation is executing contingency plans for shows (Tuesday night) at the Greek Theater and the Hollywood Bowl, as well as for the match at BMO Stadium. Attendees may be impacted by traffic, so Angelenos should allow extra time heading to these events.
“The city will always be available to make progress with SEIU 721 and we will continue bargaining in good faith.”
Bass previously said her office would implement a plan to ensure no public safety or housing and homelessness emergency operation would be impacted by this action.
The workers represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 721 are fighting for higher wages and improved benefits, and they say contract talks have lagged.
The union and city officials will resume negotiations next Monday, SEIU officials confirmed.
The walkout marked the first such strike action by Los Angeles city workers in more than 40 years.
The employees, including sanitation workers, heavy duty mechanics, traffic officers and engineers represented by SEIU Local 721, voted overwhelmingly in May — with 98% approval — to authorize an unfair labor practice strike if negotiations stalled.
“Despite repeated attempts by city workers to engage management in a fair bargaining process, the city has flat-out refused to honor previous agreements at the bargaining table, prompting workers to file charges alleging unfair labor practices with the city of Los Angeles Employee Relations Board,” SEIU 721 officials said in a statement last week.
Bass issued a statement Saturday saying Los Angeles officials are available around the clock “to make progress” on contract negotiations.
“City workers are vital to the function of services for millions of Angelenos every day and to our local economy,” Bass said. “They deserve fair contracts and we have been bargaining in good faith with SEIU 721 since January. The city will always be available to make progress 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
The labor action came amid ongoing strikes by Hollywood writers and actors as well as thousands of cooks, maids, dishwashers, servers, bellmen and front-desk agents at 46 Los Angeles area hotels represented by Unite HERE Local 11.
“It feels like it’s `Strike Summer’ because it is,” SEIU 721 officials tweeted in late July. “But make no mistake — our fight for respect does not end with the summer. It ends with contracts that adequately protect and pay us.”
SEIU Local 721 represents more than 95,000 public sector workers in Southern California.
According to the union, the city of Los Angeles strike “comes at a watershed moment for the city, with officials preparing for the World Cup and Olympic Games in the coming years. Both events promise to have long-lasting impacts on the entire Southern California region, with a massive influx of tourists and athletes putting an enormous strain on the city’s frontline services, all on the world stage.”
It also comes at a time when the city is experiencing a more than 20% job vacancy rate across departments.
Timothy O’Reilly, chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, criticized the union’s actions, saying Monday that by “holding up essential services as families start school and our city reaches maximum capacity threatens not only lives but our city’s rapidly declining reputation.”
“If we can’t keep basic services afloat, it’s no wonder Los Angeles’ population is projected to decline by 1.5 million by 2060,” O’Reilly said in a statement.
Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said the association understands that “union leaders want to do the best they can for their members.”
But, he said, it was important to remember that the “money to pay public employees comes from taxpayers, including union (members) themselves, and forcing taxpayers to pay more can result in cuts to essential services or higher taxes.”
David Green, president and executive director of SEIU 721, told City News Service last week that 30-plus strike lines were expected Tuesday all across the city.
“We are going to be throughout the entire city striking to send a message that the city’s broken the law,” Green said. “They need to come back to the table, they need to fill these vacancies and they need to listen to the concerns of the public.”
The union ratified a one-year agreement with the city in November 2022 with the understanding the two sides would return to the bargaining table immediately after the winter holidays, SEIU Local 721 Chief of Staff Gilda Valdez told the Los Angeles Times. The city and union would then negotiate over a number of smaller specific proposals, she said.
But the city has “reneged on their promise to negotiate on these issues,” according to Valdez, prompting the union to file an unfair labor practice claim with the city Employee Relations Board, along with other claims filed over various issues in recent months.
The most recent strike by Los Angeles city workers occurred in November 1980.