County Reaches Deal with Union
Service Employees International Union Local 721 had sought to avoid layoffs
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 | Updated 2:43 PM PST
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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 20: County of Los Angeles Supervisor Don Knabe is seen onstage at the Optimist Youth Homes & Family Services 8th Annual Mentor Awards at the Biltmore Hotel
It was a deal they couldn't refuse. Los Angeles County and its biggest union have reached agreement on a new contract that increases job protections, boosts benefits and calls for improved public service in lieu of salary increases, it was reported Thursday.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Don Knabe said that although the two-year contracts do not include salary increases, the agreements do include a total of 15 percent in increases in the county's contribution to employees' "Choices" benefits plan to help offset rising health care and dental costs.
The Service Employees International Union Local 721 had sought to avoid layoffs and furloughs and try to improve efficiency in delivering county services instead of fighting for cost-of-living increases.
"We took a totally new approach and we are proud of it because it worked," union vice president Linda Dent, an intermediate clerk in the Treasurer & Tax Collector's Office, told the Daily News.
SEIU Local 721 represents 55,000 county employees, including nurses, park and library employees and social workers. The union's members are expected to vote on whether to ratify the deal by the end of this month.
The county also reached tentative agreements with tens of thousands of Sheriff's Department, Fire Department and other public safety workers that also call for zero cost-of-living increases, Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka said in remarks reported by the Daily News.
