LA City Workers.com – City of LA Blog

Letter from the President: Layoffs Don’t Make Sense for LA
June 1, 2010 By Bob Schoonover SEIU 721 President

Bob Schoonover

In January we were facing a $600 million shortfall as projected by the CAO. Here in late May the ever-changing number seems to be about $100 million.

The City’s adopted a budget with a bunch of holes in it. The city wants to fill those holes with 761 worker layoffs now, add 1,000 more later, and throw 26 furlough days on top of all that–or fill it with worker concessions.

In meetings this spring with the CAO, Mayor’s office, and City Council, union members and leaders have had one consistent message: We won’t take any steps backward, and we have a better solution. Last year we made a tremendous sacrifice, voting to put off our contract raises and give up hours to see our city through this crisis. That’s hurt my family, and I know it’s hurt yours too.

So when politicians talk about how we need to “step up” with concessions, that’s why I told the Los Angeles Times two weeks ago, “We’ve already done that.” That’s why sanitation workers drove trash trucks with signs reading, “Don’t give up on LA, Mr. Mayor”–because to me, that’s what rejecting our sacrifice, cutting services and furloughing workers would mean.

What happens if the city lays off a Coalition member? Under our agreement, if even one Coalition worker is laid off we all get our raises. The City Council voted unanimously for that plan, so they can’t pretend they don’t remember.

Why would we give the city new concessions when we can’t get them to take the one we already gave? Without real leadership at City Hall, there’s no end in sight.

Here’s the alternative: Our work to find new revenues and management cost-savings has already shrunk the shortfall. Some City Council members have really stood strong for city services.  Street Services GM Bill Robertson is already on record saying that the general managers of the city had a plan for cuts without layoffs. This budget hole is not structural–it’s only there because of the recession. So it makes no sense to fill it with layoffs–a structural change that does long-term damage to the city’s ability to deliver the services people need in good times and bad.

Let’s look at the big picture. The city workforce has already reduced itself in just the last year by 3,500 workers through early retirement and normal attrition–down to 1997 levels. If you add those 700 to 1,700 layoffs coupled with furloughs the effects on public service and public safety will be dramatic.

It’s going to take the mayor and elected officials to get us out of this.

They said it all along, We want you to give up more.

They weren’t kidding. Early Retirement Savings and furlough hours weren’t enough to satisfy the Council and Mayor. LAPD Continues to hire LAFD budgeted for nearly 80 Million in overtime alone, Civilian workers will have to either give up the contract signed just last year and make up for some 63 – 110 million so that the Mayor can keep his anti gang program in force, this anti gang program it’s worth noting has nothing to do with the LAPD, it funds no cops and in the past has funneled money for gangs to buy guns.

With Inflation skyrocketing, convincing LA City Workers to take furloughs and pay cuts on top of giving up contractually guaranteed raises due to layoffs will be nearly impossible.

If civilian workers hold their ground they stand to gain a 5.75% raise and have more control over the furlough situation, if they re-open the contract again it would indicate the failing of the Coalition of City Unions and SEIU in particular.

All along Bob Schoonover has said we were standing firmly against any further concessions, “we gave enough”
“we will not give back again” were his words and now the fight is on to save jobs and save the salary of the city worker.

Taxpayers won’t pay less with this new budget, they will pay more and watch as the basic services they expect a city to provide vanish.

SEIU will be under the gun to begin working proactively to have job actions to highlight what the loss of it’s civilian workforce would mean to the public, or risks getting stuck behind the 8 ball. This coming just days after UAW forces Shutdown Boeing in a labor strike.

Our contract calls upon the City of LA to take steps to prevent layoffs, they have failed miserably at those steps. If Layoffs are imposed our salary rates are advanced by 1 year making a gain of 5.75% in the pay of the workers covered under the coalition contract. It is unclear how EAA members will be hit by this budget or unrepresented employees and members of the SEIU professionals organization.

City Council President Eric Garcetti estimated that the unions representing city workers would have to come up with “probably about $100 million” in concessions such as pay cuts, increases in their medical and pension contributions and elimination of bonuses within the next month and a half to save jobs and prevent drastic service reductions.

Same story new year.

Layoffs doomsday oh but wait give up 26 furlough days for EAA Members and 16 for coalition take a pay cut and we will call it even.

So So sorry to disappoint the Mayor but neither the Coalition of City Unions & SEIU, or EAA are considering anything less then a NO GIVEBACK policy.

With the departure of Bob Aquino from EAA reported earlier this week, and confirmed yesterday and the coalition of City Unions firm stance on no givebacks the Mayor and his scare tactics have only worked to solidify the workforce and the unions.

After working so hard to pass an early retirement plan that the workers footed the bill for and having all of the credit for that stolen by the mayor, the IBEW DWP fiasco giving them a 20% raise followed weeks later by a call for two day a week furloughs of civilian employees to pay for it civilian employees have had enough.

Most members of the unions can see for themselves the vacant positions cut and they understand how hard things would be on them financially if they did take any further pay cuts, if the Mayor does go through with a small number of layoffs, cost of living raises get moved forward which can only help most employees.

“We have sacrificed already,” said Cheryl Parisi, chair of the Coalition of City Unions. “We had an agreement to forgo our raises and not face a furlough. The city is going back on its word.”

“Each of the layoffs in his budget represent a service – a park, a library, a public safety service – that would be cut back,” said Bob Schoonover, president of SEIU Local 721.

Our message is strong, Keep LA Strong and Keep La WORKING!

Coalition of City Unions released their own budget which the Mayor has ignored keeping people working and the quality of life in LA.

It is clear and has been for a while this rhetoric is aimed at taking money out of our pocket and we are over the games that city hall wants to play we are organized and we will fight any attempt at layoffs or wage concessions for the membership.

It is time the mayor who is under recall, and the council understand, We have done our part now it’s their turn, get to work and fix LA don’t damage the workforce for years to come by looking at them as the only budget solution, it is shortsighted and foolish to keep going back to the well until it runs dry.

No Furloughs and No Givebacks Simple enough.

We simply can’t trust city hall and will fight them all the way.

SEIU 721 has a newly elected board and President Bob Schoonover is in charge.

Bob Schoonover

Overwhelmingly the membership spoke and got behind Bob Schoonover and his “No Givebacks” message.

Bob Schoonover is now facing a difficult road with the City of LA and LA County Board of  Supervisors, budget woes and furloughs are the situation at hand Bob Schoonover has made the promise of No Givebacks and he has the backing of one of the most powerful labor leaders in Southern California Julie Butcher.

Few people know the workings of LA City hall as well as Julie Butcher and SEIU International has been put on notice that this cash cow of  County and City workers in Southern California is ready to fight.

Julie Butcher needs to get back in control, and be given more responsibility in the running of Local 721, the membership has spoken and they have selected it’s leaders we can’t do it without the gritty tenacious leadership of Julie Butcher and her staff, we have elected local leaders who stand for local control and we expect our staff to be treated well and no longer undervalued.

It’s time the President of 721 tell the international thanks but no thanks and empower the true leaders to run campaigns the way they must be run and Julie Butcher is in the  best position to help LA City workers at this time.

Bob Schoonover working with Julie Butcher & Linda Dent will lead us through these tough times and will allow us to fight the way 347 would have,  gritty blue collar no nonsense.

Labor is down but not out in Los Angeles, the Fight is on!

Below are the official results from the SEIU 721 Election.

Congratulations to all!

President
Bob Schoonover

Vice President
Linda Dent

Secretary
Catherine Eide Nelson

Treasurer
Tony Bravo

LA County
Marlene Allen*
Rodolfo “Rudy” Gaona
Blanca Gomez*
Lucy Guerrero
Fred Huicochea
Lila Johnson-Crenshaw
Linda Mascorro
Tony F. Mendoza
Omar Perez
Jose Sanchez
Arnella Sims
Cindy Singer
Harold Sterker

LA / OC Cities
Joaquin Avalos*
Edwina Chism
Cheryl Elam-Collins
Cecilia Flores
Brian Hollenbaugh
Charley Mims
Andy Morales
Linda Stone*
Simboa Wright

Tri-Counties
Shannon Abramovitch
Tom Johnston
Perry Morefield
Dave Mulvey
Ted Perez
Angela Portillo*
Grace Sepulveda*

Inland Area
Lawrence (Larry) Beal
Tim Burke
Barbara Cayon*
Greg Hagan
Kevin Luke
Jack Porrelli
Glenn Sanders
Wendy Thomas*