Thousands of city employees walked off the job on Tuesday, Aug. 8, as part of a one-day strike that disrupted some city services and further intensified what already has been dubbed a “hot labor summer” in Los Angeles.
The employees – which include sanitation and street service workers, recreation and parks employees, those working in animal shelters, airport workers and other departments – are represented by Service Employees International Union Local 721, whose leaders say contract negotiations with the city have stalled.
During a late-morning rally outside L.A. City Hall, David Green, the president and executive director of SEIU 721, said Tuesday’s strike was about demanding “dignity and respect” for workers. SEIU 721 represents about 7,000 L.A. city employees, plus tens of thousands more public sector employees throughout Southern California.
Green said the job action was “not a strike against our mayor, Karen Bass,” whom he said has “been there for working people.” But, he criticized other city officials whom the union has accused of failing to negotiate in good faith.
“There (are) some knuckleheads in that building right there – some out-of-touch freaking administrators” who have decided to “kick the can down the road” when it comes to negotiating, Green said.
In an interview earlier in the day, Green identified City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, the city’s chief labor negotiator, as one of the “out-of-touch administrators.”
When reached for comment, Szabo said Tuesday that the parties have met 36 times since Jan. 10 and have reached agreement on 29 proposals.
The two sides initially reached a one-year agreement in November to give workers a 3% raise, along with a one-time bonus equivalent to 5% of their salary. The parties also agreed at that time to resume negotiations in January on a number of outstanding issues.
Bass has pushed back on the idea that the city has not been bargaining in good…
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