3090 Says ‘Just Say No’ to Rule Change

Local Wins Temporary Reprieve from Civil Service Commission

In reaction to the looming budget crisis the city is facing, City officials are considering drastic solutions like suspending seniority and imposing mandatory furloughs. Your union representatives are fighting this every step of the way.

On May 8, Local 3090 along with representatives from the Coalition of LA City Unions, won a temporary reprieve from the Civil Service Commission which wanted to impose a 21 days notice to change the civil service rules.

The Commission was considering two proposed amendments to Rule 7.8 and Rule 8.7:

Section 7.8(b) – This section speaks to computing seniority. The amendment would allow for layoff and displacement seniority to be credited in excess of seven calendars days “in the event that the absence without pay is exceeded due to a short-term layoff or work furlough”.

Section 8.7 – This section allowed for “temporary interruption” of work where it would not be necessary to us layoff seniority. An example given of this would be part time employees who work outside, grounds keepers or on golf courses, during rainy season. The proposal as written: “If work is suspended due to a declaration of a financial emergency by the Mayor” it is not necessary that layoff seniority order be “used in the temporary layoff of employees”. Simply put, the Mayor would call a financial emergency and departments would have the ability to layoff employees with no consideration for seniority.

The Coalition partners spoke out loud and hard against both of these amendments. They would be a major change in wages and working conditions that we believe must be bargained for, not imposed unilaterally. The decline in revenue must not erode workers’ rights.

3090 President Alice Goff noted, “This position is contrary to the mutual gains process that we were participated in with the Mayor and is totally unacceptable to our members. The way the language is written, these are the terms, so there is nothing to bargain about. We will not and cannot accept that.”

The Coalition urged the Commission to allow the bargaining process to occur. The final vote was two-two, with one member absent. We will return to the hearing when all five Commissioners are present and will once again urge the Commissioners to do the right thing.