Thousands of Los Angeles city employees strike for 24 hours alleging unfair labor practices

Thousands of Los Angeles city employees went on strike Tuesday for 24 hours in protest of alleged unfair labor practices including staffing shortages.

David Green, the city employee union president and executive director, said that about 11,000 employees, including members of other unions, are expected to picket City Hall, the Los Angeles International Airport and other locations around the city, The New York Times reported.

There are more than 900 job openings in the Los Angeles Sanitation Department alone, Green said. The office that processes applications is also so understaffed that it often takes at least six months to respond to applicants, he also said. 

"There’s no immediacy," Green said. "But if you’re our members, there’s immediacy — if you’re working mandatory overtime every weekend, if you haven’t seen your family."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the city has been "bargaining in good faith" since January and that the city "is not going to shut down" due to the strike, according to The Associated Press.

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