MOU 8&17 bargaining team members met with the CAO’s office Wednesday, June 23, to set the next bargaining date of Tuesday, June 29, and to discuss layoffs and furloughs. Today the full MOU 8 & 17 Bargaining Teams met in preparation for Tuesday’s bargaining session, where it’s expected that the City will present their first counter-offer to our proposals.
The bargaining teams sent two representatives, John Hawkins from MOU 8 and Michael Hunt from 17, to Wednesday’s meeting. Together with SEIU 721 President Bob Schoonover, Internal Organizing Director JJ Straight, Regional Director Julie Butcher and 721’s General Counsel Bob Hunt they demanded updated information on all contracts for work done by our unit members in these departments:
- Public Works (all bureaus)
- Transportation
- General Services
- ITA
- LAWA
- Port of Los Angeles
- LAPD
- Building & Safety
They repeated our demand that the city should not lay off and furlough our members if there’s work we can perform being done by contractors – a policy that currently exist in other SEIU 721 contracts.
The number of layoffs in our units remains 16. We continue to push for reductions in those numbers and will report them as they are confirmed. Click here for more information on SEIU 721 bargaining teams’ efforts to reduce layoffs.
What Happens July 1
The City is moving forward with its plans for service cuts in the form of furloughs in the coming fiscal year of 26 days, one day per pay period. We have demanded to see specific plans from each department.
The city’s plan does not spread the cuts evenly this year. They would affect General Funded positions, including those with mixed funding (where any portion of the position is general-funded). Revenue-producing positions, special-funded positions and proprietary departments would be exempt, though the CAO has stated that even special-funded positions must reimburse some “per-capita” general fund costs for lights, computers, and other costs. SEIU has disputed that claim.
We continue to maintain that unilateral mandatory furloughs are illegal and will pursue all remedies. We will also continue to impress upon the city the negative consequences of furloughs, and will press the issue at the bargaining table.