L.A. Workers End Walkout, for Now
L O S A N G E L E S, Oct. 12 -- An archbishop’s plea spurred the unionrepresenting 47,000 Los Angeles county employees to suspend itsstrike, at least temporarily, while negotiations continue.
Union officials late Wednesday night announced they weresuspending the strike in response to an appeal from Cardinal RogerMahony of the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese.
“It is my firm belief that the issues raised by both partieswill be resolved only through continuous, face-to-face negotiationsrather than through a protracted strike,” Mahony said in astatement.
Employees who took part in the first day of the general strikewere urged to return to work today, said Annelle Grajeda,general manager of Service Employees Union Local 660.
It was not known how long the suspension would last, unionofficials said. Negotiations were to resume this morning.
Union members would not hesitate to walk again, Grajeda warned,if progress toward a settlement isn’t made quickly.
Hospitals Hit Hard
The walkout started in earnest Wednesday morning after a week of“rolling” labor actions that had shuttered numerous countyfacilities, including hospital trauma centers and welfare officesfor one day at a time.
The full strike quickly forced severe cutbacks in hospitaltrauma care and shut down registrar-recorder offices across thecounty just weeks before the Nov. 7 general election.
The labor action came to a dramatic end after 11 p.m. Wednesdaywhen union officials responded to the appeal by Mahony, a longtimeactivist in California labor causes.
Among those striking were welfare workers, clerks who issuemarriage licenses and record property transactions, coroner’soffice workers, librarians, beach maintenance employees and sewermaintenance crews.
Six county hospitals and 42 health clinics that treat millionsof people annually were among the hardest hit Wednesday during thestrike.
Although county officials got a court order Tuesday barringnurses and other essential medical workers from striking, publichospitals with trauma units had to divert ambulances to privatehospitals, said county Department of Health Services spokesman JohnWallace.
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