Coalition of LA City Unions
July 22, 2009
Union Workers Overwhelmingly Ratify Contract Amendment to Preserve Critical City of LA Services in Severe Economic Crisis; Join With Local Government to Fight State Tax Raid
The Coalition of LA City Unions announced today that City workers represented by the six unions affiliated with the Coalition have approved a landmark agreement with the City of Los Angeles to avert layoffs and furloughs while preserving precious services for the residents of Los Angeles.
“All along, we were determined to find a better way for L.A., and we’ve done it,” said Cheryl Parisi, Chair of the Coalition and Executive Director of AFSCME District Council 36. “This agreement between workers and City officials is good for Angelenos because it saves services, saves jobs, protects families, and shows what we can all achieve by working together to find solutions for Los Angeles.”
The agreement will save the City more than half a billion dollars over the next three years, primarily through a retirement incentive program and delays in scheduled wage increases. Workers will cover the net costs of the early retirements, alleviating the City’s burden in the pension system.
The City agreement provides a contrast to other public agency budget proceedings, which have resulted in devastating service reductions for residents and layoffs of workers.
The City budget adopted in May called for layoffs and 26 furlough days per worker – amounting to a ten percent cut in services and pay for every city program and every worker. Dozens of layoffs were set to go into effect this month and hundreds or thousands more later in the year, if the fiscal situation continued to deteriorate. The furloughs would have closed City facilities every tenth day.
Bob Schoonover, Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic and President of SEIU Local 721, called the agreement a new landmark. “It hasn’t been simple or easy getting to this point, but the effort and dedication by the workers has been worth it. We can say with pride that we have all worked together to serve the best interests of the City as a whole.”
A study by the Economic Roundtable estimated that a retirement program would provide a benefit to the local economy of between $90 million and $140 million per year, compared to equivalent cuts through layoffs or furloughs.
Click on links for more updates.
Coalition Reaches Agreement Over Furloughs
Can 4 out of 5 Civil Service Commissioners be Wrong?
Coalition Continues to Fight Layoffs and Cuts
City Employees Step up/Speakout to Save City Services
Coalition Works to Protect Services and Avert Layoffs
L.A. City Workers Take
Initiative in Attacking Budget Problem
We are Proud to Serve LA
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September 7, 2007 - Coalition Makes Impact on
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