Hundreds of LA City Workers March and Testify for a Better Way

Hundreds of LA City workers with SEIU and Coalition partner unions marched to City Hall today to urge City Council to abandon short-sighted plans that would devastate City services and impose pay cuts through furloughs and layoffs, but instead to embrace a Better Way for LA held out by workers. Marching and Testifying for a Better Way
“What you did today was really something to be proud of.” -President Bob Schoonover to City workers

Workers from every union and almost every civilian job joined the march.
Whole shops and worksites shut down for the day.
Workers testified for two hours, filling Council chambers and overflowing into the halls and onto the western City Hall steps.

Council President Garcetti thanked workers for coming and for the critical work they do for the City. He said “We would prefer to do something that isn’t furloughs and layoffs–we’ll work up to and past July 1st if we have to.” He stressed that the City unlike the State can’t legally go into debt but must have a balanced budget.
Motions in the Right Direction

On the heels of worker action in Council today, Councilmember Huizar introduced three motions his office developed after City workers met with him to push for better solutions to the budget crisis:

To analyze contracts and move to contract-in services
To strengthen Joint Labor-Management Committees to find savings to reduce layoffs and improve services
To consider neighborhood resources when implementing cuts to soften the impact on low income neighborhoods

Download the signed Motions Voices from City Hall

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“Please don’t furlough my dad.” -Elijah Wright, 3 years old Simboa-Elijah
“You’re not just furloughing individuals, you’re furloughing families.” – Simboa Wright, Elijah’s Dad Wastewater Collections Worker II
“We’ve got to get a better budget by working together to save this City” -Gerald Harris, Recycling Ambassador
“The timeline is now short, but we believe that we can succeed in finding a Better Way for LA. We can and we must.” -Dave Bunjac, President Coalition partner union LIUNA 777

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