Thousands of county workers march in downtown LA amid strike; arrests made after traffic blocked
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Tens of thousands of striking Los Angeles County workers flooded the streets of downtown L.A. on Tuesday, marching to demand a new labor contract.
This was day one of their planned 48-hour strike. Picket lines began forming at 7 p.m. Monday after a deal was not reached by the union's deadline.
When some of the protesters began blocking traffic, police moved in and started making arrests.
From the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration on Temple Street to the intersection of 5th Street and Figueroa Street -- thousands of striking L.A. County workers marched, demanding that the county fairly negotiate a new labor contract for their members.
AIR7 was above the scene as the group, which included workers and supporters, moved peacefully through the area.
"The message is being sent loud and clear, but I think we still have a lot more work to do. But absolutely, people showed up and they're showing out," said employee Tammy Lofton.
"We're really strong... all of us," said Laurie Jensen, who works as a diagnostic technician. "I think it's amazing. I'm really glad that I'm part of this, and we're not going to give up. We're going to keep fighting."
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721 represents approximately 55,000 L.A. County workers. Fields range from public works to mental health to social work.
"We're showing the county all of the sectors have come to reason to get a contract. We are hard-working people. Our jobs are service jobs, all of these jobs are service jobs, we do stuff that a lot of people don't want to do," said employee Marissa Ruiz. "I am a children's social worker. I've been a children's social worker for 25 years."
Labor contracts expired weeks ago, according to the union. Their big issue is money. According to L.A. County, money is tight. There's a $4 billion settlement involving nearly 7,000 sexual abuse claims at county-run juvenile facilities.
"We want to recognize the value of our employees and our workforce. We want to preserve our ability to provide safety net services," said L.A. County CEO Fesia Davenport. "We have a lot of people, vulnerable families, that rely on us, and we want to do all of that within the constraints of our budget and not negotiate ourselves into a structural deficit."
Shortly before 1 p.m., some union members sat and blocked the entrance to the 110 Freeway at 5th Street and Figueroa Street. One by one, LAPD officers handcuffed them and took them to awaiting vehicles.
In an update later Tuesday night, LAPD said 14 people were arrested at the demonstration. They have all since been cited and released.
It's unclear if all 14 people who were arrested were SEIU members.
After the rally downtown ended, picket lines continued across the city on Tuesday evening, including outside of the Los Angeles General Medical Center in Boyle Heights.
"I want county to come to the table, bargaining in good faith," nurse Kelly Zhou said.
Zhou says it's not fair that nurses at Los Angeles General Medical Center are exhausted from constantly working double shifts and more because staffing levels at the hospital are critically low.
"When you have a government job, you should be able to afford eggs, you should be able to afford for your children to go to school in dignity, you know, not the hand-me-down clothing, but to have nice clothing like every other child," Zhou said. "I just want the board of supervisors, the CEO offices, look at your paycheck, how much you're making, and think about how the people who are actually on the front line, doing the work, can't afford eggs on the table."
As far as talks are concerned, both sides are hopeful that they can come up with a deal that makes both sides happy, though the county says it does not want to run at a budget deficit.
The union said it is the first strike of its kind in the county, with the walkout expected to last 48 hours. The strike could impact a number of services, including the county's non-urgent health clinics, public libraries, wildfire clean-up services, trash pick-up, and homeless encampment enforcement.
Why are L.A. County workers on strike?
The union accuses county management of refusing to bargain with union members in good faith and alleges retaliation and surveillance of union members.
The union claims the county's proposal was a 0% increase for cost of living, and alleges the Board of Supervisors was able to spend $205 million on a downtown skyscraper for new office space, while maintaining there's no money for frontline staff.
The county disputes those claims, saying there are other costs the county is facing, including $4 billion on sex assault claims and $2 billion in impacts from January's wildfires, "and the potentially catastrophic loss of hundreds of millions or more in federal funding."
Davenport recently released the budget proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year, including 3% cuts to some departments and the elimination of more than 200 vacant positions.
"We have to monitor our revenues," Davenport told Eyewitness News. "Our revenues are down because interest rates are up, and the number of houses that have been sold over the last couple of years have been declining. Our main source of revenue are local property taxes, so even though we get growth every year from property taxes, the amount of that growth is declining."
The county said it plans on meeting with union workers Tuesday night.
What other services will be impacted?
Some non-urgent county clinics will be closed during the two-day strike, some beach restrooms may be closed, and there may be some delays in services provided by the medical examiner.
Residents may experience delays in several services from the Department of Animal Care and Control, including public adoptions, reclaiming pets, purchasing or renewing pet licenses, and general animal care, the county announced.
Animal control officers will continue to respond to Priority One calls, which include but are not limited to incidents involving injured animals, ongoing bite incidents, and requests for police, sheriff, and fire assistance.
County Library officials issued a statement saying the strike could impact services and possibly force temporary closures of some library locations.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and are preparing our operations for the strike's potential impact on library services," County Librarian Skye Patrick said in a statement. "In the event we have to temporarily close our libraries, we recommend customers access our Digital Library, which is open 24/7. We encourage customers to stay informed by checking our website for regular updates as the events unfold."
The Assessor's Office warned that members of the public may experience longer wait times at the Hall of Administration and delays in phone response times during the strike period.
The One-Stop Shop public service counter on the first floor of the Hall of Administration will remain open.
All other Hall of Administration public service counters will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
District, regional, and satellite offices will remain open but may also experience service delays, including longer counter wait times and slower phone response times.
The office is encouraging the public to visit its website, assessor.lacounty.gov and create an E-Service account. Many Assessor services can be completed online, and general inquiries are often addressed through the website.
Residents can visit lacounty.gov/closures for details on possible closures or service delays caused by the strike.
City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.
