LA County union worker strike causes delays and closures

Residents across Los Angeles County are seeing delays and temporary closures to some public services — including libraries and public health clinics — as a result of a massive labor union strike that kicked off Monday.

The disruptions are expected to continue at least through Wednesday evening, county officials said.

Among the closures were seven county Department of Health Services clinics, including those in East Los Angeles, Inglewood and Westlake, along with dozens of parks and libraries throughout the county.

The Service Employees International Union Local 721, which represents more than 55,000 county workers across 36 departments, walked off the job this week.

The workers say the county has refused to bargain in good faith after the contract for healthcare professionals, social workers, public works employees and others expired in March.

The union claims L.A. County has excessively outsourced contracts, kept wages stagnant and retaliated against union employees.

“Clearly, they thought they were above the law. They thought we would never strike. They thought wrong,” David Green, SEIU Local 721 president, said in a statement.

The county denies the allegations.

In the meantime, thousands of striking healthcare professionals, social workers, public works employees, custodians and other workers mean much longer wait times for county services.

“We are using managers and non-represented employees to cover the most essential services,” a spokesperson for the county’s Chief Executive Office told LAist. “But clearly the public is feeling the impacts of this strike, which is unfortunate.”

County service closures

The union’s work stoppage is expected to last until 7 p.m. Wednesday. Official county closure announcements will be updated here.

• Some non-urgent L.A. County Department of Health Services clinics are closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The department has a list of clinic closures on its website.
• The Department of Public Health’s mobile therapy units are canceled. 
• Most L.A. County Library locations are closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Most L.A. County parks are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Some beach restrooms are closed.
• The county’s substance use support centers are closed. 

The county says it is rescheduling most appointments.

L.A. County hospitals, emergency rooms and urgent care centers remain open during the work stoppage. Representatives for the union said plans are in place to ensure that emergency health services are not disrupted.

Felix Valladares is an L.A. County worker who went on strike Tuesday.

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Jordan Rynning

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LAist

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Delays expected

Officials said the public can expect longer waits and phone response times in most L.A. County departments this week, including the Department of Public Social Services, Assessor’s Office, Auditor-Controller, Consumer and Business Affairs and the District Attorney’s Victim Services Bureau.

Other impacts include:

• Delays in services, including public adoptions, reclaiming pets and purchasing pet licenses at county Animal Care & Control facilities.
• Delays in customer service, trash and encampment issues, according to the county Public Works Department.
• Reduced personnel at the county Medical Examiner’s Office.

Debbie Neptune, a psychiatric nurse practitioner in Sylmar, walked off the job Tuesday as part of the SEIU 721 strike.

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Jordan Rynning

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LAist

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What the workers say

Thousands of county workers rallied Tuesday outside of the L.A. County Hall of Administration, where L.A. County supervisors meet, to call for a fair contract.

“Now that the workers are involved, willing to show that they're willing to give up a day's worth of salary to come and do this, it should show them that we're serious about it,” said Felix Valladares, a county eligibility worker. “We want better terms.”

As the workers paraded through downtown L.A. Tuesday afternoon, many were wearing purple and holding signs that said “Fed Up.”

Tuesday afternoon, a group of demonstrators sat and blocked traffic on 5th Street near Figueroa, according to the LAPD. Officers arrested those demonstrators before citing and releasing them at the scene.

Debbie Neptune, a psychiatric nurse practitioner for the county at Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar, took off work Tuesday to strike.

“For patients that don't have insurance, they could come to L.A. County, but it's like they don't wanna give us raises,” Neptune said. “They want to give us like 1%. And I love my patients and I would want to be treated the same way. Nurses love human beings. They need to love us, too.”

County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the effects of the strike will only underscore the importance of workers that residents rely on every day.

“I hold out hope that both sides can come together so that SEIU workers can have a fair contract, even in the midst of our budget challenges,” Hahn said.