How LA Workers’ 24-Hour Strike Will Impact City Services

With thousands of L.A. city workers expected to strike on Tuesday, Mayor Karen Bass sought to reassure residents that the city “is not going to shut down.”

“My office is implementing a plan ensuring no public safety or housing and homelessness emergency operations are impacted by this action,” Bass said in a statement Monday.

SEIU Local 721, the union representing 11,000 L.A. city workers, said its members will stage a one-day strike. Among the issues raised by workers is chronic understaffing, SEIU 721 president David Green told LAist.

The strike will mostly impact sanitation workers, heavy-duty mechanics and engineers.

"Hundreds of proposals have been sent back,” Green said. “The reality is we can't retain staff right now so we're asking them to fill in the staffing vacancies and to come back to the table in good faith."

Over the weekend, Bass had said that workers "deserve fair contracts and we have been bargaining in good faith with SEIU 721 since January."

Negotiations for a new contract between the union and the city resume the week of Aug. 14.

Here’s what Angelenos need to know about the impact to services, according to Bass’s office.

Disrupted services

Trash pickups and other sanitation service

• Expect one-day delays for the rest of the week: Tuesday collections will happen Wednesday and so on, until Saturday.
• The regular schedule is expected to resume by Monday, Aug. 14.
• CARE and CARE+ operations scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 8 will be pushed back to Saturday, Aug. 12.
• No impact to wastewater operations is expected, though the city says it may resort to on-call contractors in the event of a sewer emergency.

Traffic

• Possible traffic delays at major events.
• Other services impacted could include parking enforcement and traffic control for special events, along with repairs for signals and signs.

Pools and parks

• Possible pool closures and aquatic program cancellation.Visit the Department of Recreation and Parks website for updates.
• Park maintenance may also be impacted.

LAX

• Expect longer wait times to and from LAX.

311 Call Center

• The call center will be open, but expect longer wait times than normal.

Animal services

• Shelters will be closed to the public except for emergency services.

L.A. city zoo

• Possible impacts will be provided at lazoo.org tomorrow morning.

What won’t be impacted

• Public safety, including emergency LAPD and LAFD
• Homeless and housing services, including daily services and the L.A. Department of Housing hotline
• City-run day care and camps
• The L.A. public library