More than 11,000 Los Angeles city workers have walked off the job for a one-day walkout today, to protest what their union calls bad-faith contract talks and unfair labor practices.
Picket lines went up before dawn at LAX and other locations and a rally is planned for later in today at City Hall. SEIU Local 721 said airport custodians, heavy duty mechanics and engineers are among the more than 11,000 LA city workers who are on strike. The union said its members voted to authorize the walkout because the city hasn’t bargained in good faith and has continued to engage in labor practices that restrict employee and union rights.
Workers have been preparing for this strike for days. Back on Saturday July 30, several hundred members of SEIU Local 721 practiced marching and rallying in a picket line. Everywhere from LAX to City Hall and even at the Griffith Observatory, thousands and thousands of city workers are making clear that enough is enough. (**Important reminder that traffic enforcement officers, the lowlifes who write your parking tickets, are union members. Do with that information what you will**)
The union plans to return to the bargaining table with the city next week to try and resume talks, but nothing is guaranteed. In the meantime, the residents of the city of angels get to deal with the fallout.
Side Items
Eastern Storms: Millions of homes and businesses are without power after heavy storms ripped across the East Coast. At least two people lost their lives and thousands of flights were canceled or delayed by severe weather that included hail, lightning, and even a rare tornado watch for the greater DC area. The storms’ spread was massive, with tornado watches and warnings posted across 10 states from Tennessee to New York. The National Weather Service said more than 29.5 million people were under a tornado watch at some point Monday afternoon
Cha Cha Real Smooth: DJ Casper, the hitmaker of the world-famous "Cha Cha Slide," passed yesterday at 58 years old. The Chicago native was battling cancer and made the transition with his loved ones by his side. The “Cha Cha”, a song that has graced countless milestone occasions, from weddings to awkward middle school dances, originally emerged from an aerobic exercise for DJ Casper’s nephew. May his Cha Cha’s continue to be the smoothest as he rides into the eternal sunset