Countywide Strike Vote Follows Massive Protest Through Downtown LA by SEIU 721 and Other Local Labor Unions Calling for More Compensation to Fight Inflation, Which Hit a Record High of 8.5% in March; Workers Cite Bad Faith Bargaining, Repeated Labor Law Violations by County Management in Push for Strike Authorization Vote
LOS ANGELES – Frontline workers who have kept LA County alive and functioning during the pandemic and beyond will begin their strike authorization vote online this week, with in-person voting starting at the LAC+USC Medical Center in Boyle Heights this Wed., Apr. 20 at Noon.
The flagship LA County hospital contains the largest concentration of County workers, and big voter turnout numbers are expected there. SEIU 721 members from across LA County will hold a press conference on the Marengo St. steps sounding the alarm on County management’s bad faith bargaining and repeated labor law violations.
- WHO: Union members from SEIU 721 who are also LAC+USC employees – including nurses, nurse practitioners, RNs, various medical personnel and hospital employees
- WHAT: SEIU 721 Contract 2022 Strike Authorization Vote Launch and Press Conference
- WHEN: Wed., Apr. 20, 2022 at Noon
- WHERE: LAC+USC Medical Center, 2051 Marengo St., Los Angeles, CA 90033
- Voting will take place adjacent to the LAC+USC Medical Center steps near the corner of Marengo St. and Cummings St.
- VISUALS: The iconic LAC+USC Medical Center will serve as a backdrop while healthcare professionals and hospital personnel gather at an official SEIU 721 Voting Center to cast their ballots for the union’s strike authorization vote. Union members will be available for interviews.
BACKGROUND: SEIU 721 represents approximately 55,000 LA County frontline workers in healthcare, public safety, social services, mental health, parks and recreation, clerical services, street services and more. Their strike authorization vote takes place just two weeks after members of SEIU 721 and other labor unions shut down traffic in downtown LA at a “Fight for the Frontline” march and rally which drew attention to the need for cost-of-living increases to compensate for staggering increases in prices on everything from groceries to gasoline. Prices at the pump have reached nearly $7 a gallon in the City of Los Angeles while inflation throughout the U.S. reached 8.5% in March – the highest it’s been in 40 years.
But, so far, negotiations with the county have stalled. Indeed, SEIU 721 Bargaining Policy Chair Ileana Meza described their latest offer as “a slap in the face” particularly given the tremendous sacrifices made by frontline workers like her during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEIU 721 President David Green indicated that the union remains determined to get a strong contract in 2022.
“We are feeling energized and I’m confident our union is ready to strike,” Green said. “It doesn’t matter what county department our members are working in – healthcare, social services, parks and rec, law enforcement, public works or public safety – we won’t be taken for granted.”
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Contact: Roxane Marquez, roxane.marquez@seiu721.org, (213) 705-1078
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