A month after a 48-hour strike that saw a massive march and member arrests, hundreds of Los Angeles County workers Tuesday gathered ahead of the county supervisors’ meeting in a civil disobedience protest.
“Tuesday will mark Day 64 that SEIU 721 members have been working without a contract,” Service Employees International Union 721 said in a statement, citing what officials called continued slow-rolling of the contract bargaining process by the county.
Public works employees, public and mental health professionals, social workers and other county employees represented by the union presented thousands of handwritten letters at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The members planned to exhibit civil disobedience at the Board of Supervisors meeting, scheduled for 9:30 a.m.
“We’re here to send a message to the Board of Supervisors in the county that they need to tentatively agree (to) this contract. We need it done, and we waited too long,” SEIU 721 Executive Director and President David Green told City News Service.
“I understand that they’re going to meet after (the board meeting) to maybe discuss it. We hope we can resolution as soon as possible.”
Green said the workers were committed to bargaining for a good deal, including risking arrests such as during the previous strike.
From April 28-30, the union held a 48-hour walkout, impacting several services including some non-urgent county clinics, 35 libraries and some beach restrooms. Wildfire clean-up services, trash pick-up and homeless encampment enforcement were also affected.
The union accuses Los Angeles County management of refusing to bargain with members in good faith, and alleged retaliation and surveillance of union members.
The union claims the county’s proposal was a 0% increase for cost of living, and says the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was able to spend $205 million on a downtown skyscraper for new office space, while maintaining there’s no money for frontline staff.
The county disputes those claims, saying it offered the union workers a $5,000 bonus in year one as part of a three-year deal that would include “an additional bonus and cost-of-living adjustments.”
“We are trying to strike a balance — fair compensation for our workforce while sustaining services and avoiding layoffs in the midst of some of the worst financial challenges we have ever experienced,” according to the county Chief Executive Office.
County officials noted that the county is facing unprecedented fiscal challenges, including a $4 billion settlement of thousands of sex assault claims, $2 billion in impacts from January’s wildfires “and the potentially catastrophic loss of hundreds of millions or more in federal funding.”
County CEO Fesia Davenport recently released her budget proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year, including 3% cuts to some departments and the elimination of more than 200 vacant positions.
“We are working hard to make sure our labor partners understand the financial reality of our situation,” according to a county statement. “Despite the severity of our fiscal outlook, the county has made fair and responsible counter proposals that we hope the union will seriously consider.
“We are committed to continuing constructive negotiations and to joining with labor on something we can all agree on — which is the county’s absolutely essential role in serving the people who rely on us not just for safety net services but to make their lives better.”
SEIU 721 is the county’s largest union, with members in 36 of the county’s 38 departments, according to the county.