June 3, 2025

Contact:

Jesus Ruiz, Countywide Communications, jruiz@ceo.lacounty.gov

Countywide Communications, pio@ceo.lacounty.gov

LA County Statement on Labor Negotiations

“Los Angeles County values our partnership with labor and recognizes the essential role that our employees play in serving the public. Unfortunately, there are just not enough available resources to offer the cost of living increases that SEIU 721 is demanding—especially as we face profound financial stresses on many fronts, including the AB 218 settlements and actual and threatened cuts in federal funding. SEIU 721 has refused to accept a County proposal that offers its members a substantial one-time bonus of $5,000 this year, a 2% raise and $2,000 bonus in year two and a 5% raise in year three of the contract. We are unable to move beyond this offer given the shortage of available resources, and in fact, we will need to make significant cuts in order to afford it. These include planned cuts in programs that children and families rely on, such as the popular summer recreation program called Parks After Dark, as well as in our extended summer swim season. Other anticipated impacts include cuts in jobs programs for youth, fewer beach cleanings and reduced beach restroom hours, reduced access to County lakes and regional parks, delays in pet adoptions,  and service reductions in the Public Defender’s office and Probation.  Ultimately, we must balance our sincere desire to fairly compensate our workforce in this precarious economic climate with our duty to preserve essential public services, maintain a balanced budget and avoid a structural deficit that would hurt our credit rating and increase borrowing costs. We believe that we can reach a fair agreement that achieves all of these objectives. We hope that our labor partners will recognize the seriousness of our financial situation and join us in reaching a solution that avoids further cuts to public services.”