Outside the City Hall tower, hundreds of picketers in purple T-shirts and city uniforms marched through closed downtown streets, banging drums and ringing cowbells while hoisting signs in English and Spanish declaring “Striking for Respect.”
Picket lines went up before dawn at Los Angeles International Airport and other locations, and a large rally was held later in the morning downtown at City Hall.
SEIU Local 721 members stage work stoppage over alleged unfair labor practices as contract negotiations drag on
Miles de trabajadores municipales de Los Ángeles, entre ellos salvavidas, mecánicos, ingenieros, jardineros y trabajadores sanitarios, han iniciado una huelga para reclamar salarios más altos y mejores condiciones laborales.
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.
The union says the city has failed to address the crisis of recruitment and retention of city workers and claimed vacancy rates in some departments are as high as 40 percent.
The walkout marks the first such strike action by Los Angeles city workers in more than 40 years.
“We are here demanding respect,” Raymond Mesa, a member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 721, told KTLA 5 outside of city hall. “We are going back to the bargaining table on Monday and we are sending them a message that they need to take this seriously.”
“Trabajadores del puerto, los que levantan la basura, salvavidas, entre otros, están protestando. Pedimos respeto y que se unan a la mesa de negociaciones”, dijo José Martínez, un mecánico del Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Ángeles que está manifestando.
“We are here. You hear us outside. We’re tired of the disrespect when it comes to bargaining,” said Simboa Wright, vice president of the union and a wastewater collection worker with more than 20 years of city service while rallying outside of City Hall.