A message to LA City professionals from Michael Hunt, Department of Transportation and MOU 17 Bargaining Team Member.

We are bargaining but the City's Executive Employee Relations Committee has not given instructions to their chief negotiator - so we haven't been able to move forward. I joined more than 400 SEIU members at City Council on Wednesday, February 24, to tell them about the negative impacts furloughs have on our jobs and to get the City moving on bargaining. Here's some of what I told them:

"I'm special funded and my furloughs do nothing to help solve the budget problem.  Who's going to explain to all of these people that their concerns aren't going to be addressed because the city is furloughing people they don't need to?"
 
After my testimony, Councilmember Rosendahl immediately pulled me out of the audience to discuss this issue in more detail. He assumed that because we had joined SEIU back in November 2009, that we were no longer being furloughed.  He was unaware that we're still beholden to the furloughs with our old contract.  He wants to see this issue resolved as soon as possible and will assist any way he can.  He asked me to keep him informed of our progress.

I sat down with Councilman Rosendahl on Tuesday, March 9. Keep reading to see the letter I sent him after our meeting.

LA city tree trimmer Art Sweatman and transportation engineer Michael Hunt sat down with Steve Lopez from the LA Times yesterday to talk about the city budget crisis and SEIU 721 members' ideas to address it while preserving services.

"Sweatman noted," Lopez writes, "that he and other employees have already [contributed] to the cost of an early retirement program that will eventually take 2,400 city employees off the payroll" and they've already taken pay cuts through furlough hours.

When asked by Lopez what he'd do if he had to take the Mayor's proposed 15% wage cut, Art said, "I'd jump out of a tree."

Lopez also took on the mayor and council for "throwing numbers around" about layoffs. "It has looked, at times, like they're throwing darts," he wrote.

News Updates: Duarte, South Gate, Monterey Park, El Monte and the LAPD Jail Division

Los Angeles may get the headlines, but SEIU members at cities across LA County are facing budget cuts and threats to city services. Members are helping solve city deficits by recommending efficiency solutions, partnering with community groups and keeping open lines of communication with elected officials.    

Duarte

The City's budget is balanced for this fiscal year. City officials notified members of the budget's sound status at a Feb. 17 meeting. 

South Gate

The City is reporting a deficit of more than $2 million for the remainder of this fiscal year.

The coalition of unions, including the Police Officers Association (POA), Police mid-management, division managers and both the Municipal Employees Association (MEA) and Professional and Mid-Management Association (PMMA), are meeting weekly. Members plan to meet with the City Council to provide revenue-generating options such as raising fees.

"The coalition of unions in South Gate united instead of working individually to approach Council with recommendations for revenue generating ideas and to monitor the City's spending."

Cynthia Duprey, President, South Gate Mid-Managers

UPDATE: The Coalition met with Mayor Henry Gonzalez and Councilman Bill De Witt.  The PMMA President read an SEIU letter to the City Council encouraging the Council to refrain from spending on costly annual events. SEIU 721 is reaching out to the business community for support.

Also, on Feb. 10, maintenance workers gained the right to standby pay to participate in the expansion of sewer services, which includes a new truck, pump and smart manhole covers that alert the City in case of overflow threats.

Monterey Park

Members will enter negotiations with the City Council to find alternate solutions to the 33 layoffs proposed.

UPDATE: At a meeting Feb. 25, the SEIU 721 Monterey Park Chapter Board met with the City's management team, which included Councilman Frank Venti. An agreement between SEIU 721 members and management is expected in early March.

Workers are taking into consideration the economic downturn as Monterey Park struggles to balance its budget and save services.

LAPD Jail Division

Members are reviewing the City's proposal to close Harbor Jail. Other possible closures include Wilshire, Southwest, Devonshire and Foothills jails. Staff from these jails will be assigned to three regional jails including Parker Center Jail to accommodate the opening of the city's newest jail, the Metropolitan Detention Center.

All LAPD members are encouraged to attend City Council meetings. Members met again with LAPD management on Tuesday, March 2, to discuss options for reopening the new jail.  

El Monte

On Feb. 16-17, members received a budget presentation by the City's management team along with the Chapter Board. The City is asking for members to continue with the current furlough schedule, which will expire in late February 2010. The City proposes continuing furloughs from March 1 to June 30.

UPDATE: Members voted on Feb. 24, with a majority, 65%, of members voting to extend furloughs to late June 2010. there was another meeting to discuss the creation of the Sewer Division is scheduled on Wednesday, March 3.

 

 

 

  by Gregory Ware
Mechanic for the City of Santa Ana

(This letter to the editor appeared in the Orange County Register Mar. 5)

"All candidates for elected office would do well to remember that voters still believe in the American Dream of retiring with dignity and security after a lifetime of hard work and playing by the rules."

Martha Rojas gave a big smile and hugged Lindoria Horn when she saw her at LA City Council today. 

The two SEIU members met when Lindoria reached out for help. She was facing foreclosure on the house where she lives with her teenage daughter. "I was upside down on my loan," she said. "I thought I'd let the bank take it."

Now the LA City gardener-caretaker is trying to modify her loan and keep her house, and the City of Los Angeles is ready to help other people like her.

The City Council voted 13-0 today for new rules holding banks accountable to help the city recover from its budget crisis. The rules require banks to do more to prevent foreclosures, increase lending to small businesses, and renegotiate interest deals on municipal debt that are costing taxpayers up to $19 million a year. That would help reduce the budget deficit that is threatening huge cuts at LA's parks, public safety and neighborhood.

"We have a lot of SEIU members and Los Angeles residents that we're helping to stay in their homes. Banks need to start modifying loans -- we are their customers. It's so unfair that they don't help more families stay in their homes and stay together. The children are the ones that suffer the most," said SEIU member Martha Rojas.

"Banks need to help the people that really need it," added LA City gardener Lindoria Horn.

 

LA City Council Amending Motion for Responsible Banking.pdf

LA City workers held a mock red carpet event and an awards ceremony Thursday, March 4, honoring the best in City services, spotlighting the impact that thousands of layoffs and drastic service cuts will have on the entertainment industry.

"Who will want to film multi-million dollar productions in a city without services?" said LA City gardener Lance Delaney, who also monitors video shoots at Exposition Park. "The loss of revenue from the entertainment industry would devastate our economy even more."

More than 75 workers from the Coalition of LA City Unions gathered outside the Mayor's mansion as he hosted Hollywood celebrities at a pre-Oscars party. But it was engineers, librarians, chemists, animal service employees and street and tree workers who stole the spotlight.

Click here to view a photo gallery.

The mock red carpet received extensive media coverage from outlets including ABC Channel 7, NBC Channel 4, The Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly and Perez Hilton's Hollywood blog.

"We're having fun tonight, but there is serious work that needs to get done to protect the services we are so proud provide," said awards emcee Chad Doi, who also is a Structural Engineering Associate in the Building and Safety Department.

 Workers took turns walking down the red carpet, accepting service awards and giving acceptance speeches.

"Without me, Cabrillo Beach would not be as beautiful as it is," said Blanca Flores, a gardener caretaker, as she accepted the Best Kept Beach Award.

 

"I feel so appreciated. I'm proud to provide these wonderful street city lights that increase safety for pedestrians and cut down crime. I'm happy to accept this award," said Steven Kehrmeyer, a Civil Engineer in the Bureau of Street Lighting.

City workers and professionals are pressing the Council to show leadership in solving the budget crisis instead of slashing services.

Real Solutions Include:

• Collecting millions in uncollected debt owed to the City

• Implementing 10% fee cuts to privatized contracts

• Cutting costly outsourced service contracts that city workers can do for much less.

LA City can save millions by getting smart: implementing cost-savings and making government more efficient instead of making across the board cuts to parks, neighborhoods and public safety. LA City workers have made dozens of cost-saving recommendations already worth millions. Log in to vote for the best ideas by clicking here.

Examples of Top Ideas: 

•     Cut outsourcing by a minimum 10% citywide to save $250 million immediately.
•     Let city workers handle expensive outside contracts. (Example: DWP spends more than  $50 million for tree-trimming.)
•     Prioritize collecting more than $400 million owed to LA City by businesses.

More ideas, More Feedback

Click here to rate, rank and add new ideas to this growing list. Visit the "Let's Save LA City Services" efficiency page and make your ideas count.

How to Login: You need a Google account to login and vote.

How to Vote: On the right hand side, vote "Yes" by clicking the checkmark or "No" by clicking the "X" to rank the popularity of ideas.

How to Post Your Idea: Click the "Submit an Idea" button to include your recommendations.

"City workers are in Council chambers making their voices heard...." That was the news on KABC-Channel 7 today as more than 400 City workers jammed City Council.

"City workers say services may be hurt and emergency response times slowed if the city lays off 4,000 employees.... Workers who are members of the Service Employees International Union say job cuts would lead to cuts in services," the report said.

"We are willing to work with you to show you that there are millions of dollars misspent so we can end this crisis together.... Please don't take the easy way out by laying off employees," said Public Works engineer Gus Malkoun.

SEIU members are calling for cuts to contractors, immediate collection of money owed to the city, and an end to banking deals that are costing taxpayers $10 million a year before City workers and services are affected.

More than 400 public service workers represented by SEIU 721 and the Coalition of LA City Unions laid out a devastating future at City Hall today in response to Council's surprise vote last week for up to 4,000 layoffs that would severely hurt city services.

LA City workers posed a critical question inside City Council Chambers, "what would happen to our libraries, classrooms and parks if 4,000 workers disappeared?"

 "When we close our parks, it means children won't have a place to play. Why can't we contract-in services to generate additional revenue to save our parks?" - Sheree Powers, Recreation and Parks Senior Gardener, Elysian Park

 "We're the first responders at Griffith Park for medical emergencies. What will happen if we're not there?"    
- Adam Dedeaux, a Park Ranger at Griffith Park
    

City workers who prosecute domestic violence cases, keep parks clean and safe, and respond to mudslides, windstorms and other emergencies detailed a grim future.

• Librarians and staff who keep libraries open and run children's reading programs. Some branch libraries may have to close.

• Mechanics who keep emergency vehicles running and professionals who support fire and police services, meaning longer response times in emergencies.

• Park workers who run programs that keep children off the street and out of gangs, and who make sure park grounds are safe.

• Animal Services employees who investigate reports of dangerous animals, who could harm pedestrians and children. They educate the public about their pets and collect more than $249,000 in licensing fees. Without them, the city loses money and the ability to respond to dangerous animals.

• Emergency-response tree trimmers who clear downed trees for paramedics and fire crews will be at risk.

If you are a city worker, let us know how the community would be impacted without your services.  We'll collect your stories and continue to press Council for real leadership not threats to services.