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Thousands Of LA City Workers Have Gone On Strike. Here's What You Need To Know
L.A. city workers chant in front of the steps of City Hall at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023.
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Gillian Morán Pérez/LAist
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Roughly 11,000 Los Angeles city workers — from custodians to mechanics — walked off the job Tuesday for a one-day strike. Their union, SEIU Local 721, is planning picket lines across the city, from LAX, to City Hall and Griffith Park.
What the action is about
Union representatives allege that L.A.'s management has refused to bargain in good faith before their contract expires at the end of the year. SEIU 721 executive board member Simboa Wright on Tuesday said workers want to see change in the way L.A. fills its ranks to alleviate workloads.
"We need more staffing — just recruitment and retention. You can't keep people here and it takes so long for them to hire," said Wright, a wastewater collection worker for the city. "By the time you apply for the job, you'll get a job somewhere else because it takes so long."
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Maria Puebla, who has worked as a custodian for 18 years and travels to downtown L.A. from Canoga Park each day to work the 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. shift, said she's also feeling overworked.
"The people who are retiring are not being replaced. They are not bringing in more people. There is too much work," Puebla said.
While she's retiring soon, Puebla said she was out striking to secure a fairer contract for future employees.
The last time city workers carried out a similar strike was more than 40 years ago.
Also joining in solidarity Tuesday were some members of United Teachers Los Angeles. That union's vice president, Julie Van Winkle, said one common denominator among the labor movements so far is the high cost of living.
"Rent is so expensive. Normal working people can't afford to live in L.A.," Van Winkle said. "So that's why you see all these people out on the picket lines because we're all feeling the same hardships and the same unsustainability that's happening in the city right now, especially in terms of housing and housing insecurity."
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What the city is saying
Mayor Karen Bass has said that the city has been bargaining in good faith with SEIU 721 since January and that the workers "deserve a fair contract." And in a statement Tuesday, acknowledged that city services were affected, "but continued today."
"Public safety and homeless housing emergency services continue. City-operated summer camps and daycares are open. Services at LAX continue with limited impact to travelers. A number of public pools are open throughout the city. The Los Angeles City Zoo is open and so are our libraries. All of our animal shelters are open to the public and our 311 Call Center is taking calls. Trash pick up will resume tomorrow," she said.
Affected city services
For more anticipated disruptions, we have a list here.
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