5 months in the past, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass revealed in her State of the Metropolis deal with that greater than 1,600 metropolis staff might need to be laid off to shut a $1-billion funds shortfall.
On Tuesday, after months of negotiations, Bass stood at Metropolis Corridor with union leaders and introduced that her administration had averted each layoff.
“Some folks stated it couldn’t be finished, however I’m so glad to face right here as we speak and say that we’ve got proved the naysayers unsuitable,” Bass stated.
The announcement got here on the heels of an settlement with the L.A. Metropolis Coalition of Unions, which collectively represents gardeners, mechanics and clerks, who will take as much as 5 unpaid holidays in 2026. Seventy-five staff had beforehand been focused for layoffs.
For the reason that mayor unveiled her proposed funds in late April, she and the Metropolis Council have labored to cut back layoffs by way of quite a lot of cost-cutting measures. The council scaled again hiring on the LAPD and decreased the variety of new hires within the fireplace division, saving about 1,000 jobs.
Final month, the Los Angeles Police Protecting League, which represents sworn LAPD officers, and the Engineers and Architects Assn., which represents metropolis planners and a few LAPD civilian staff, signed agreements with town that saved almost 300 different jobs.
The Police Protecting League agreed to a voluntary program the place officers can take days off in alternate for additional time hours, whereas Engineers and Architects Assn. members will take as much as 5 unpaid holidays.
Whereas the unions negotiated, town started shedding staff, with many members of the Engineers and Architects Assn. despatched residence, stated Marleen Fonseca, the union’s govt director.
On Monday, Fonseca spoke with a member who had been hospitalized over the weekend, delivering the excellent news that he had his job again.
“Had we not had this settlement, he can be dealing with a medical disaster with no medical health insurance,” she stated. “That is the actual human distinction that solidarity makes.”
Town additionally moved some staff focused for layoffs into open jobs in different departments. The Metropolis Council labored over the course of 10 committee conferences to search out these openings, stated Councilmember Tim McOsker.
“That is nice information for this fiscal yr, however we should stay clear-eyed: our metropolis’s funds challenges will proceed and we have to keep targeted on long-term options and defending our metropolis workforce and providers,” McOsker stated.
