More than 1,000 LA County members of SEIU 721 rallied and picketed outside the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration yesterday to announce a strike vote authorization with a 99% YES vote – as well as intent to go on an Unfair Labor Practice strike on Thurs., Oct. 10 if county management does not come back to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith.
Busloads of LA County members packed Temple Street from Grand Avenue to Hill Street. Hundreds of them filed into the Board of Supervisors meeting room to hear union representatives testify at the Supervisors’ weekly meeting.
As they did so, SEIU 721 leadership addressed the massive crowd.
“This is the worst disrespect I’ve seen in my 24 years as an LA County employee,” said David Green, Executive Director and President of SEIU 721 who is also a Children’s Social Worker III with DCFS.
“The strike authorization passed with a 99 percent vote,” Green continued. “That means we’re pissed off and we’re not going to take it anymore. Not only are they breaking the law. They’re union busting in Los Angeles! They think you should be afraid. Is anyone here afraid?”
LA County members answered with a massive, “NO!”
“Bring them on!” Green continued. “I’ve never been more proud to be here. You’re the front line of defense. You’re the safety net! We’ve got 25 buses here! Are you willing to do whatever it takes to protect our jobs and protect our families?”
LA County members answered with a huge, “YES!”
“We strike on October 10,” Green said. “Put it on your calendar! 10-10! And we are not afraid to shut it down.”
Green was originally scheduled to later testify at the Board meeting, noted SEIU 721 Chief of Staff Gilda Valdez. But in a blatant act of disrespect, the Board insisted that our union wait until 3 PM for public comment.
“We don’t need to be inside,” said Valdez. “They are going to get the message one way or the other. Because we are not afraid to take them on. They won’t tell us to go back to the end of the line! That ain’t gonna happen!”
The crowd responded with a roar of approval.
Next up to address the LA County members was SEIU 721 Vice President Simboa Wright. An employee with the City of Los Angeles, he reminded everyone that LA members had held a successful one-day strike in August of 2023.
“We have your backs!” Wright said. “The only way to get a fair contract is to demand one!”
He recalled the similarities between LA City members and LA County members when negotiating with management.
“They strung us along,” Wright said. “They gave us excuse after excuse. Does that sound familiar?”
He then recalled the success of the LA City one-day strike, noting how, “Everywhere they looked, they saw us. We even got support from the White House! And we shut this city down!”
Gilda Valdez then returned to the microphone to give a shout-out to SEIU 721 Treasurer Adolfo Granados, an Eligibility Worker II at DPSS. Afterward, Ernesto Guerrero gave everyone an unexpected update: Instead of testifying, our LA County union siblings held an impromptu action directly inside the Board chambers.
“They wanted to send us to the end of the line,” he explained. “Your Brothers and Sisters decided, enough is enough. We did our chant: If we don’t get it, shut it down!”
The crowd responded: “If we don’t get it, shut it down!”
Gilda Valdez then introduced SEIU 721 Secretary Lillian Cabral, a true veteran of county service having dedicated 46 years at the LA General Medical Center. She held a quick roll call of LA County members, highlighting each department, and then got straight to the point.
“I’m mad as hell!” Cabral bellowed. “They set a fire that ain’t gonna be quenched! We are here today because we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We are the frontline workers who do the job. Hell, yeah!”
Cabral was followed by Eloy Alvarez, our union’s Inland Area Regional Director. Alvarez – along with Steve Koffroth, Director of Collective Bargaining and Research – is a key part of our LA County contract negotiating team.
“There are a lot of hard fought wins we got in our last contract and LA County is using a lot of shady tactics to delay implementing them,” Alvarez explained. “We filed not one, not two, but more than 20 Unfair Labor Practice charges.”
He described how LA County dedicated 17% of its total budget to contracting out work – and had a job vacancy rate of more than 12,000 jobs. The numbers elicited a big “BOO!” in response from the crowd.
“When county managers deliberately allow thousands of job vacancies, they are deliberately putting holes in that safety net,” Alvarez reminded everyone. “We are the safety net! Are we going to take it? Are we going to get played? Hell, no!”
The crowd roared back with “Hell no, we won’t go!” and “10-10!” Then they heard from Raymond Meza, Deputy Chief of Staff at SEIU 721.
“I have two things I want you to take back to your worksite,” Meza said. “We had a 99 percent vote for strike authorization. And – on, Saturday, October 5 – we are putting together a Strike Academy at 10 AM at the Local. In the history of this Local, there has never been a strike from wall to wall with every single Bargaining Unit. I want to be clear: What we want LA County to do is to come back to the table. Let’s make sure they hear us. Come back to the table. If they don’t come back, what are we going to do? Shut it down!”
The crowd chanted “Shut it down!” repeatedly.
Then Gilda Valdez returned to the stage.
“If they don’t come back to the table, when are we going to strike? 10-10!” she declared. “Say it again! 10-10!”
The crowd said “10-10” again and again as they dispersed directly into Temple Street for a humungous practice picket that took up the entire block.
It was an exemplary display of solidarity and union power with LA County members making it clear that they were “ULP Strike Ready.”
Morale was so high that that many members literally danced in the streets in a spontaneous and joyous dance line. They will carry that enthusiastic spirit back to their worksites as our union prepares for a Strike Academy on Sat., Oct. 5 – and, potentially, a ULP strike across LA County on “10-10.”
TOGETHER, WE WIN!
*** To see more images from yesterday’s event, visit our union’s Flickr page. You can view more SEIU 721 content via social media on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. General news and updates about SEIU 721 are available at www.seiu721.org. ***