More than 50,000 employees of Los Angeles County began a two -day strike on Monday night, closing libraries and interfering with administrative activities in the most popular county of the entire nation.
The two -day strike was initiated in response to failed negotiations with the county to obtain a new contract after the last end in March, the service staff said the local 721 managers of the international trade union.
The trade union represents more than 55,000 employees, including public health professionals, social workers, parks and recreational workers, caregivers, clerical staff and more 10 million inhabitants. This is the first time that all its members are strike, the trade union said.
“This is a labor force that became the emergency of the La County after the emergency: January fires, public health emergencies, emergencies of mental health, emergencies of social services and more,” said Union leader David Green. “That's why we have had the respect of labor law violations and employees.”
The strike runs until Wednesday at 7pm. During this time, libraries, some health clinics, beach bathrooms and public services counters are expected to be closed. It may also be influenced by any other service in the medical examination office and the public work department,According to the countyTo.
The trade union has accused 44 violations of labor law during contract negotiations, including monitoring and revenge against employees dealing with the activities of trade unions and the unions represented by the union.
La County claims to be faced with unprecedented stress in its budget, includingInitial Agreement of $ 4 billionIn January, a projected $ 2 billion impact and hundreds of millions of federal funding.
“We do not want to negotiate ourselves in a structural deficit – it can lead to reductions and services,” spokeswoman Elizabeth Marcellino said in a statement. “We are trying to achieve a balance: fair compensation for our workforce while maintaining services and avoiding redundancies in the middle of the worst financial challenge we have ever experienced.”
The city of La is facing similar financial ailments – Mayor Karen Bass's recently planned budget includes 1,600 city workers in the midst of a nearly one billion dollar deficit.
More than 150 county employees were picked up on Monday from the Los Angeles General Medical Center, raising tags stating “We are a safety net!”
Lillian Cabral, who has worked in the hospital since 1978, said the strike was a “historic moment”, which included employees of the emergency room and radiology departments.
Cabral is part of the negotiation committee and said he was disappointed with a process full of long delays and little movement from the county.
“It's so unfair to us, it's both unfair to our patients as well as our clients and the community,” Cabbral said.
This story was originally reflected on Fortune.com
