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LA City Workers Plan One-Day Walkout, The Latest In SoCal's Hot Labor Summer Of Strikes
A Los Angeles city worker shovels asphalt into a pothole.
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Sharon McNary/LAist
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Hot labor summer is in full swing.
Workers have taken to the streets to fight for better pay and improved work conditions across the country, including many in SoCal.
While delivery truck drivers and UPS were able to clinch an agreement to narrowly avoid a work stoppage, impasse has settled over contract negotiations in other industries.
And other labor unions are eyeing walkouts and strikes.
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Here are where some of these labor disputes stand this weekend.
L.A. city workers
On Tuesday, more than 11,000 Los Angeles city workers are expected to walk off the job for a 24-hour strike.
SEIU Local 721, the union representing city workers — including sanitation workers and traffic officers — announced the action on Friday.
David Green, president of SEIU Local 721, told LAist that one of the challenges city workers face is chronic understaffing.
"Hundreds of proposals have been sent back. 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," Green said.
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Picketing is scheduled to begin at City Hall at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, according to Green.
The nearly empty entrance to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is seen on April 16, 2020, in Los Angeles.
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Valerie Macon
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AFP via Getty Images
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Disruption is expected at several locations including the Los Angeles International Airport, the Port of Los Angeles, and L.A. City Hall.
Negotiations for a new contract between the union and the city resume the week of Aug. 14.
Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement late Friday that the workers "deserve fair contracts and we have been bargaining in good faith with SEIU 721 since January." She went on to say city officials are ready to get back to the bargaining table at any moment.
Hollywood strikes
Hollywood writers and producers met for the first time in three months on Friday, but no agreement to restart negotiations was reached.
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Perhaps that's not too much of a surprise, since the two sides were trading barbs ahead of Friday's meeting.
“So far, the companies have wasted months on their same failed strategy,” the WGA said in its statement.
A sign on the picket line on the fourth day of the strike by the Writers Guild of America in front of Netflix in Hollywood.
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Frederic J. Brown
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AFP via Getty Images
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The writers union also challenged the AMPTP to come to the table on Friday “willing to make a fair deal and begin to repair the damage your strikes and your business practices have caused the workers in this industry.”
On Thursday evening, the AMPTP responded with their own short statement calling the WGA Bargaining Committee’s rhetoric "unfortunate." AMPTP officials said the goal of the Friday discussion was "to determine whether we have a willing bargaining partner."
They added: "This strike has hurt thousands of people in this industry, and we take that very seriously. Our only playbook is getting people back to work."
Meanwhile, Hollywood actors are about three weeks into a strike of their own.
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About The WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) have been negotiating for new contracts with Hollywood's studios, collectively known as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
The WGA went on strike May 2. It is the first WGA strike in 15 years; the last work stoppage began in November 2007 and lasted 100 days.
SAG-AFTRA went on strike July 13. It marked the first time Hollywood performers and writers have simultaneously walked off the job since 1960.
- What WGA wants
- What SAG-AFTRA wants
- What AMPTP has said in response
- Affected by the strike? Here are some resources.
Hotel workers
Striking hotel workers hold signs while working the picket lines outside of the InterContinental Hotel in Downtown L.A. on July 2, 2023.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
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LAist
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Thousands of hotel workers have been staging rolling strikes since July, after contract negotiations broke down with major hotels in Southern California.
On Saturday morning, striking hotel workers are marching in Santa Monica, from the Viceroy Santa Monica to the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows.
Workers will continue picketing at dozens of other hotels in downtown Los Angeles, the Westside and Long Beach, according to a statement from the union representing hotel workers.
The unionized housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, front desk agents, servers and food service workers want an immediate $5 an hour raise with raises totaling $11 over three years.
Other asks include affordable health care and manageable staffing workloads. The union, Unite Here! Local 11 has centered the high cost of living in Southern California — saying its members can't afford to live where they work.
Hotel industry officials have pushed back on the issue of affordability, saying that accountability should be with elected officials.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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