On August 8, SEIU Local 721, which represents thousands of city workers in Los Angeles including sanitation workers, traffic officers, gardeners, mechanics, lifeguards, engineers, and more held a 24-hour strike. SEIU Local 721 workers are protesting the city of Los Angeles’ unfair labor practices.
Chief among the union’s concerns is that the city planned to combine this year’s contract negotiations with deliberations over 400 proposals from last year’s contract talks. This was “unacceptable” to the union, who would need to sift through the proposals while simultaneously negotiating a new contract.
Local 721 also alleges that the city is refusing to stay at the bargaining table and is denying the union worksite visits. “Out of touch administrators have slammed the door in our face,” Local 721 President David Green told the Los Angeles Times.
Another chief concern of the city workers is the large number of vacancies in city positions, which force workers to take on large amounts of overtime.
This strike comes at an inflection point in the labor movement, especially in Los Angeles. On August 8, there were four separate strikes in the city: Hollywood actors and writers unionized under SAG-AFTRA and WGA respectively, hotel workers with UNITE-HERE Local 11, and the city workers of SEIU 721. The writers’ strike is the longest-running, and is celebrating its 100th day on August 9. The August 8 strike was the first by Los Angeles city workers in over 40 years. All of these labor actions come as the city is preparing to host both the World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028.
