Over 11,000 Los Angeles local employees, including garbage collectors, lifeguards, and traffic cops, went on strike Tuesday, August 8. They missed 24 hours of work to protest what they saw as unjust working conditions.
According to AP News, an assembly was scheduled for later in the day at City Hall, and picket lines were set up at Los Angeles International Airport and other sites before sunrise. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721 identified airport caretakers, heavy-duty mechanics, and engineers among the thousands of striking LA municipal employees.
The union claimed that its members approved the walkout because the city did not negotiate in good faith and engaged in restrictive labor tactics against its employees and the union.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass explained in a statement on Monday, August 7, "City workers are vital to the function of services for millions of Angelenos every day and to our local economy. They deserve fair contracts and we have been bargaining in good faith with SEIU 721 since January. The city will always be available to make progress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."
Attempting to 'Shut Down' the City
Bass strongly denied that a citywide shutdown was possible in Los Angeles. However, according to her office, parking enforcement and certain traffic operations would be among the services that would be interrupted. As of this week, garbage collection schedules around the city will be off by one day until Monday next week, when they will go back to normal.
Officials at Los Angeles International Airport reportedly advised passengers to plan additional time for flights to and from the city.
AP News added that union officials have predicted that as many as 300 lifeguards from municipal pools may go on protest. It was unclear Monday afternoon if pools would be closed, according to Rose Watson, a representative for the Department of Recreation and Parks.
Phillip Sanfield, a spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles, estimated that 300 workers would take part in the strike. "The Port of Los Angeles respects the fair bargaining rights of all employees... With an anticipated job action, Port of Los Angeles operations will continue."
In November 2022, the union and the city agreed to a one-year contract, with the understanding that they would resume negotiations in January 2023, said Gilda Valdez, chief of staff at SEIU Local 721. Once the one-year framework is in place, the city and the union would enter into negotiations on a variety of "specials," or more narrowly tailored ideas.
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More Protests in LA
Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city, has been hit by yet another demonstration.
Since May, screenwriters in Hollywood have been on strike, and only last month, actors became part of it too. Hotel workers in Los Angeles have been on walkout intermittently during the summer, while earlier this year, teachers and other school employees in Southern California were involved in a strike over a contract dispute.
