California – Telling it to the City Hall: Save Our Public Services!

Say No To Layoffs - Jose Trujillo, president of Los Angeles Local 164 (Council 36), leads a march of AFSCME activists to City Hall to protect public services.

Say No To Layoffs - Jose Trujillo, president of Los Angeles Local 164 (Council 36), leads a march of AFSCME activists to City Hall to protect public services. (Photo credit: Mark Siegel)

Los Angeles, California

Activists from District Council 36 and five other Los Angeles unions have been crowding City Council chambers almost weekly for months. Their goal: to remind lawmakers of the dire consequences to public services if they proceed with the planned layoffs of 4,000 employees.

The Coalition of L.A. City Unions, led by Council 36 Exec. Dir. Cheryl Parisi, has been a force to reckon with during a budget crisis that has created a deficit this year of $212 million. Last year, the coalition reached a landmark agreement with the city that averted layoffs and furloughs and prevented major service reductions.

They were able to achieve that victory by gaining approval of a plan that provided substantially more long-term savings through a one-year deferral of a scheduled pay raise. In exchange, the city agreed to no layoffs or furloughs for one year, and to provide a retirement incentive.

The city is again proposing layoffs to deal with the continuing budget dilemma. Fired up, activists from Council 36's five city locals have joined with their coalition sisters and brothers to overflow City Hall chambers. Some have testified before lawmakers, or called their offices, while others have leafleted libraries and parks to educate the public about the damage that layoffs would cause to critical public services.

“The coalition is looking for ways to increase city revenues as an alternative to the mayor’s budget,” says Parisi. “We need to continue reaching out to community groups and activate the membership.”