LA County workers conclude 48-hour strike on day after massive rally and march led to arrests
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Tens of thousands of Los Angeles County workers wrapped up a 48-hour work stoppage Wednesday evening, Service Employees International Union Local 721 announced.
They remained off the job for another day following a massive rally in downtown L.A. that snarled traffic and saw 14 arrests.
"Morale is high among our LA County membership, and we have renewed momentum at the bargaining table,'' David Green, the SEIU 721 executive director and president said in a statement released coinciding with the 7 p.m. end of the strike. The county noted that SEIU 721 is the county's largest union, with members in 36 of the county's 38 departments.
More than 55,000 members of Service Employees International Union Local 721 -- including public works employees, public and mental health professionals, social workers and parks and recreation personnel -- went on strike at 7 p.m. Monday, accusing the county of failing to fairly negotiate a new contract, an accusation the county denies.
Los Angeles County Health Services, the county's integrated health system consisting of the four county-operated hospitals and 25 clinics, announced at 7:24 p.m. that "all services are scheduled to go back to normal'' and thanked "the thousands of medical personnel and support teams who continued providing patient care during the strike.''
The walkout impacted a number of services, with some non-urgent county clinics closed, along with 35 libraries and some beach restrooms. Wildfire clean-up services, trash pick-up and homeless encampment enforcement were also affected.
On Wednesday, many workers rallied in Commerce, marching up and down the streets near Eastern and Slauson avenues. A county official told Eyewitness News negotiations were underway Tuesday night and were set to pick back up Wednesday afternoon.
"We've been essential workers when you need us to be essential," said Hector Arroyo, who works as a social worker for the Department of Children and Family Services. "We've been through COVID-19, now the wildfires. For us to continue to be essential, we need to be taken care of within our contact, and we need to be treated with integrity and respect."
On Tuesday morning, the union bused members from various work sites to a rally that began outside the Hall of Administration at 500 W. Temple St. "to send the Board of Supervisors a powerful message: We won't back down!" The Board of Supervisors was meeting inside the building Tuesday morning.
Union members, most wearing purple shirts and many waving signs, marched on Temple Street, which was closed to traffic in the area to accommodate the action.
As the morning wore on, the crowd of workers swelled dramatically, and the group marched through the downtown area. The throng of purple-shirted workers blanketed streets as it moved, snarling downtown traffic. Workers carried banners at the head of the march, reading "LA County Workers on ULP Strike," and "We are the Safety Net."
Around midday, the group amassed near the intersection of Fifth and Figueroa streets, and about a dozen workers sat in the middle of Fifth Street in a coordinated display of civil disobedience. Fifth Street was closed from the Harbor 110 Freeway to Flower Street due to the demonstration.
Police eventually moved in and peacefully arrested the protesters one- by-one. The arrestees were quickly processed, cited and released at the scene.
The crowd slowly dissipated Tuesday afternoon.
"This is the workforce that got LA County through emergency after emergency: the January wildfires, public health emergencies, mental health emergencies, social service emergencies and more," union leader David Green said in a statement. "That's why we have had it with the labor law violations and demand respect for our workers."
The union has accused the county of 44 labor law violations during contract negotiations, including surveillance and retaliation against workers engaging in union activity and contracting out work that's supposed to be done by union members.
They also say that the county's proposal was a 0% increase for cost of living, and alleges 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.
L.A. County says it's facing "unprecedented stresses" on its budget, including a tentative $4 billion settlement of thousands of childhood sexual assault claims, a projected $2 billion in impacts related to the L.A. wildfires in January, and the potential loss of hundreds of millions in federal funding.
"We do not want to negotiate ourselves into a structural deficit - which could lead to layoffs and service reductions," spokesperson Elizabeth Marcellino said in a statement from the chief executive office. "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."
The city of L.A. is facing similar financial woes. Mayor Karen Bass's recently proposed budget includes 1,600 layoffs of city workers amid a nearly $1 billion deficit.
About 150 county workers picketed outside Los Angeles General Medical Center on Monday.
Lillian Cabral, who has worked at the hospital since 1978, said the strike was a "historic moment" that involved staff from the emergency room and radiology departments to custodians.
Cabral is part of the bargaining committee and said she was frustrated by a process that has been filled with long delays and little movement from the county.
"It's so unfair to us, it's so unfair to our patients, and to our clients and our community," Cabral said.
In a statement, the county said they "are working hard to make sure our labor partners understand the financial reality of our situation.''
"Despite the severity of our fiscal outlook, the county has made fair and responsible counter proposals that we hope the union will seriously consider."
City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
