LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County employees union held a rally outside the county administration building Tuesday asking for more money after County CEO Bill Fujioka released a $24.7 billion balanced budget while pronouncing that the county is back on solid financial footing.
County employees have not received a raise since 2009, but the SEIU's efforts also come against the backdrop of discussions throughout the state about bloated municipal employee salaries and pension liabilities. The county was able to avoid laying off or furloughing any of its workers during the recession.
The rally drew over 3,000 Los Angeles county employees represented by SEIU Local 721 to the streets outside the county administration building as Fujioka formally presented the budget to county supervisors during Tuesday's meeting.
A 23-page
Negotiations between the county and the union are scheduled to begin on June 15.
"Now, as the time for a new contract draws near, financial data analyzed by Local 721 indicates that the county government has recovered from the recession and indeed, was never as in as bad shape as it sometimes claimed," union officials write in the document. "By the time the current contract expires, Los Angeles County workers will have gone nearly five years with frozen wages."
