Tens of thousands of people who work for Los Angeles County went on strike Monday night, consequently disrupting some public services.
The members of labor union SEIU 721 walked off their jobs after 7 p.m. Monday in an effort to negotiate for a new and fair contract with the county.
Promising not to impact law enforcement and first responder services, this strike could, however, pause services ranging from parks and libraries to healthcare and social work.
The union represents frontline workers, hundreds of whom were seen joining a picket line outside LA General Medical Center on Monday night – the first of the two-day strike.
“We are in the business of healthcare. We would never leave our patients in danger walking out,” Kelly Zhou, a nurse anesthetist, told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “We gave 10 days’ notice – this is the last resort.”
SEIU 721 claims the county has repeatedly violated labor laws and failed to bargain in good faith on cost-of-living increases and health insurance.
“We’ve had to file 44 unfair labor practice charges against them,” said David Green, president and executive director of SEIU 721. “It includes everything from not giving a fair deal at the table, not bargaining in good faith, health and safety issues.”
According to the union’s website, this Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Strike will directly impact more than 55,000 employees represented by SEIU 721 as well as nearly 10 million county residents.
“Also, we’re talking about filling vacancies, there are 12 thousand vacancies in LA county right now,” added Green, “And a huge amount of outsourcing, almost 7.8 billion in outsourcing. So these are all things we’re talking about at the bargaining table.”
The strike will close libraries and some healthcare clinics, and wildfire beach debris cleanup could also be affected. The union’s contract expired at the end of March with no resolution in sight.
“All the healthcare providers are stressed and stretched thin, yet they’re spending billions of dollars on contracting out,” said Zhou.
“I am open to creative solutions, but the bottom line is simple: we must not write checks that cannot be cashed,” Kathryn Barger, chair of the LA County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. “Fiscal responsibility must guide our negotiations to both ensure the long-term stability of the County’s services and operations and protect County jobs. Neither should be sacrificed.”
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