Los Angeles County is bracing for interruptions in service as over 55,000 workers represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 721 prepare for a two-day strike starting Monday evening. This strike, described by union leaders as "wall to wall," indicates that every single union member voted for it to happen, the first such unanimous action in SEIU's history, according to CBS News.
The walkout, slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. and continue through to 6:59 p.m. on Wednesday, is set to affect a wide variety of services from public libraries to wildfire debris clean-up. However, essential services such as hospitals and urgent care centers will remain operational while non-urgent health clinics and other health services like mobile therapy units for children will be canceled for the duration of the strike as the county grapples with its planned budget cuts and the elimination of hundreds of vacant positions, as mentioned by FOX LA.
Union grievances include accusations of unfair labor practices, with an alleged 44 labor law violations going unanswered, and a reputed failure of the county to engage in good-faith negotiations over wages and healthcare benefits. According to a KABC Television report, workers feel "disrespected" and "not heard," expressing frustration with the county's 0% increase proposal for cost of living adjustments, despite recent substantial expenditures by the county, including $205 million on a downtown skyscraper.
David Green, president of SEIU 721, explained the situation further, "Our folks are the safety net, whether you're an emergency room nurse or a children's social worker, or someone that works to serve mental health needs for the most vulnerable parts of our community. We're not going to be blamed for things that happen financially," he told CBS News, underscoring the importance of the employees' roles within the community even as these services are set to temporarily halt.
A strike of this magnitude is not without precedent in the county, however, the ripple effects on residents who depend on the day-to-day operations of these services are anticipated to be significant with the upcoming march by the SEIU workers in downtown LA on Tuesday morning only serving to underscore the discord reported by NBC Los Angeles. Meanwhile, LA County officials have disputed the union's claims, citing the financial constraints imposed by a tentative $4 billion settlement and a projected impact of $2 billion from January's wildfires, all of which are straining the county's budget dramatically.
