Thousands of Los Angeles city workers walk off job for 24 hours alleging unfair labor practices

LOS ANGELES — 1000’s of Los Angeles metropolis workers, together with sanitation employees, lifeguards and site visitors officers, walked off the job Tuesday for a 24-hour strike alleging unfair labor practices.

Picket strains went up earlier than daybreak at Los Angeles Worldwide Airport and different areas and a rally was deliberate for later within the day at Metropolis Corridor. SEIU Native 721 mentioned airport custodians, heavy responsibility mechanics and engineers are among the many greater than 11,000 LA metropolis employees who’re hanging.

The union mentioned its members voted to authorize the walkout as a result of the town has didn’t discount in good religion and in addition engaged in labor practices that restricted worker and union rights.

“Metropolis employees are very important to the operate of companies for tens of millions of Angelenos daily and to our native financial system,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass mentioned in a press release Monday. “They deserve truthful contracts and now we have been bargaining in good religion with SEIU 721 since January. The town will all the time be obtainable to make progress 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.”

It’s the newest strike to overhaul the nation’s second largest metropolis in current months. Hollywood writers have been hanging since Might, and actors joined them final month. Los Angeles resort employees have staged staggered walkouts all summer season, and earlier this 12 months faculty employees walked picket strains and there was additionally a contract dispute at Southern California ports.

“The Metropolis of Los Angeles is just not going to close down,” Bass insisted. However her workplace mentioned some companies can be affected, together with parking enforcement and a few site visitors operations. This week’s trash pickup will probably be staggered by someday citywide till regular service resumes Monday, officers mentioned.

Los Angeles Worldwide Airport officers urged vacationers to permit for further time for journey to and from LAX in the course of the strike.

“LAX is working diligently with our airport companions to make sure that our operations will proceed as near regular as attainable and to mitigate the impacts of the work motion to our visitors,” airport spokesperson Dae Levine mentioned in an e mail Monday.

The union mentioned it expects about 300 lifeguards working at dozens of metropolis swimming swimming pools would strike. Rose Watson, spokesperson for the Division of Recreation and Parks, mentioned Monday afternoon that it wasn’t instantly clear whether or not swimming pools can be closed.

Roughly 300 Port of Los Angeles workers have been anticipated to take part within the walkout, in keeping with port spokesperson Phillip Sanfield. “The Port of Los Angeles respects the truthful bargaining rights of all workers,” Sanfield mentioned in an e mail Monday. “With an anticipated job motion, Port of Los Angeles operations will proceed.”

The union accredited a one-year cope with the town in November 2022 with the understanding that they might return to the bargaining desk in January, mentioned SEIU Native 721 Chief of Employees Gilda Valdez. With the broader settlement in place for the following 12 months, the town and the union would then negotiate over quite a few “specials,” or smaller particular proposals, Valdez instructed The Related Press.

However the metropolis reneged on the promise to barter on these points and “solely gave us some small agreements that mainly quantity to peanuts,” Valdez mentioned. The union filed an unfair labor observe declare with the Metropolis of Los Angeles Worker Relations Board over this concern, together with earlier claims filed over a number of different points.

“This strike is a really robust message: ‘come to the desk,’ ” Valdez mentioned, noting that the union’s members had labored all through the pandemic to maintain the town working.

The union plans to return to the bargaining desk with the town the week of August 14 to renew talks, she mentioned.

In Northern California, two unions that signify practically 4,500 San Jose metropolis workers voted Monday to authorize a three-day strike for subsequent week.