LA County Members Hold Energetic ULP Strike Academy and Practice Picket

This past Saturday morning, LA County members of SEIU 721 showed up bright & early and in big numbers to attend a spirited ULP Strike Academy and Practice Picket. Our goal was to train, organize and prepare ourselves for the big contract fight ahead, with the rock solid understanding that we won’t back down until we get the strong contract that we deserve.

LA County members hardly needed convincing to fight the good fight. Energy was high right from the start and remained so throughout the entire event.

“Do you think LA County is taking us serious?” Eloy Alvarez, Regional Director at SEIU 721, asked aloud.

“NO!” the massive crowd responded.

“Are you ready to take this fight to the streets?” Alvarez asked.

“YES!” the crowd roared in reply.

Raymond Meza, Chief of Staff at SEIU 721, reminded attendees just how essential their work is – and how cavalierly LA County management takes our labor for granted. This is especially true given how many attendees were on the frontlines of both the COVID pandemic as well as the recent fire response in Pacific Palisades, Sylmar and Altadena.

“We got LA County through a once in a generation pandemic and we are going to get LA County through a once in a generation disaster,” Meza declared as attendees applauded. “We are not going to let LA County disrespect us at the bargaining table.”

The effects of the disrespect displayed by management toward our LA County workforce is coming close to reaching a boiling point – particularly after our union published a landmark study, “Shining a Light on Contracting Out in Los Angeles County.” It exposed a taxpayer-to-private-sector pipeline of $6.2 billion annually to private firms, all while LA County fails to fill 12,000 job vacancies.

“I have been doing this a long time. I haven’t seen anything like this. I didn’t realize we are doing Coachella on the back lot of 721!” said David Green, Executive Director and President of SEIU 721, who has worked as a Children’s Social Worker III with the LA County Department of Children & Family Services for more than two decades.

“Walking in, I had this immense feeling of pride,” Green continued. “But I came here to speak the truth. I am pissed off. In addition to being pissed off, I am incredibly proud. I have never seen this union so together. Our members are pissed off and ready to strike.”

As attendees munched on a tasty breakfast, everyone got a quick but thorough update about the status of contract bargaining by Steve Koffroth, Chief Negotiator at SEIU 721.

“We have more than 120 negotiators working on this,” Koffroth explained. “We have been at work since July of last year. We asked them to have our proposals done by Labor Day. We got back to the bargaining table on November 7. We have made more than 525 proposals at the tables – including various aggressive financial increases, improvement in benefits, and reinforcing language about our rights.”

“And you heard the number about contracting out — six billion,” Koffroth continued. “At least three billion is our work. Our members understand that the contracting out issue is directly correlated to our jobs. The vacancy issue is causing problems with our workloads. The county is in the best financial shape it’s been in in years. Last Fiscal Year, they had a surplus of $1.2 billion. The year before, it was nearly $1 billion. The county is in great shape and if the community needs our safety net services, who’s going to do it? So, they’ve got to take care of us if they want to keep the services going. We have also asked for a public hearing on vacancies.”

Attendees were then given a refresher course on what constitutes an Unfair Labor Practice strike and on the importance of documenting every ULP violation made by LA County management.

“It’s important to file those ULPs,” Alvarez emphasized. “On a ULP strike, you cannot be replaced.”

“If your Worksite Organizer is not allowed to access your worksite, that is a ULP,” Alvarez explained. “If your supervisor starts recording your picket line, is that a ULP? Yes! That’s a surveillance charge. Keep a sharp eye for that. Don’t let managers intimidate you for supporting your bargaining team. So far, we have filed 36 labor charges against LA County.”

“Why are we talking about Unfair Labor Practices? They protect our rights,” Steve Koffroth added. “We need the details. When this happens, give us the names, give us the dates. We need the details to file those charges.”

Attendees then got down to business by participating in a Practice Picket led by Ernesto Guerrero of SEIU 721. He began the exercise by explaining the mechanics of a strike – from sign-in sheets and strike line formations to chant leaders and picket sign distributors. Then he reminded everyone about the purpose of a ULP strike and why a ULP strike is such a pivotal move.

“If you guys are forced to go on a strike, it is because the county is forcing you to go on a strike because of all the illegal things they are doing,” Guerrero said. “We need to make sure we have a message to our community. The county is jeopardizing the services you provide – to who? To the community! The reality is, going on strike is going to be a very important part of your lives. It will be an experience you never forget. You are fighting for your livelihoods. You are fighting for yourselves. And most importantly you are fighting for your community. Now everybody – let’s go to the streets!”

Attendees then packed a nearby street to overflowing as the Practice Picket took place. Chants boomed through the neighborhood as LA County members shouted, “We are the union / The mighty, mighty union!” and made our union pride crystal clear.

Afterwards, participants worked together to make the hundreds more picket signs that would be used during an actual ULP strike – which could take place in the coming weeks given that our LA County contract expires on Mon., Mar. 31, 2025.

The picket signs also will come in handy on Thurs., Feb. 20. That’s when our LA County members will hold numerous Practice Pickets directly outside our worksites in a demonstration of both our solidarity as well as our determination to win a strong contract that reflects respect for the work we do.

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To view more images from our ULP Strike Academy and Practice Picket via our Flickr page, click here. To view social media content from this event – and to get updates in real time on all the work our union is doing throughout Southern California – be sure to follow us on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. You can also get more information about SEIU 721 on our website at www.seiu721.org.