In the July 14 bargaining session, the CAO’s representative delivered his vision for LA’s future, including privatization, outsourcing and layoffs. It’s the vision and business model pushed by consultants in the Mayor’s office a year ago:
- No longer a full-service or world-class city
- Privatization, outsourcing and layoffs
- Cuts to employee benefits and pensions reducing the professionalism of the city workforce
Quotations from the CAO’s presentation:
“The City is focusing its limited resources on the most essential and required functions through pursuing service eliminations and consolidations.”
“External partnerships [privatization] present opportunities for the City to raise capital, gap fill services, reduce costs and increase efficiencies…”
“The City’s major cost drivers are salary, retirement, and human resource benefits…compensation reduction is the long-term solution…”
Read the full presentation here.
Our vision as LA’s professionals and SEIU 721 members is very different. We see:
- Efficient, cost-effective services that enhance the safety and quality of life of all LA residents
- Services provided by city workers whose mandate and focus is quality, not profit
- Effective oversight of services and outsourcing to ensure accountability to the public
- Bringing work in-house where city workers have the knowledge and experience to do the job right
- Family and community sustaining jobs for city workers with benefits and pensions that fairly reward career service to the public
Demand the City’s Plan for Service Cuts
On July 15, the CAO finally released information about employees affected by furloughs – but not the service impact on the city.
LA City employees represented by SEIU 721 are taking a stand for accurate furlough plans that show the effect on city services.
We are systematically filing group grievances for every MOU represented by SEIU 721 in every city department where our members serve the public. As these grievances are filed, Stewards and your Worksite Organizer will go out and get signatures from all affected workers.
Furloughs hurt everyone: they hurt residents by denying them service. They lead to inefficient work done by contractors that should be done by experienced city employees. They are unnecessary, bad public policy and we consider their unilateral implementation illegal.
Action on Layoffs Keeps Professionals Working
Layoffs in MOUs 8 and 17 began at 37. Through patient and diligent work by Stewards, Bargaining Team members and Worksite Organizer Paul Kim, we’ve placed every member on the layoff list into another position.
Reminder: Our current MOU with all its protections continues in force during negotiations. Report any violations to our stewards, Worksite Organizer Paul Kim [paul.kim@seiu721.org or 213-280-0723] or the Member Action Center at (877) 721-4YOU [4968].
Do you want to work for a second-class city? Click here to SIGN YOUR NAME TO DEMAND THE PLAN.