In the heels of catastrophic forest fires in January, the first stakeholders in the county of the demand for increases and reprimands politicians for not having moved more quickly to grant them.
The unions representing the deputies, the firefighters and the rescuers of the sheriff made a public argument Thursday for more support in the contracts of increasingly tests contracts, releasing half an hour documentary This highlighted the painful stories of their members from the first days of fires.
Dave Gillotte, head of the County Union IFF Local 1014 County Fireman, said that he wanted the images to recall county politicians on the heroism of his members fighting against the worst forest fire of their career.
“They are a little disconcerted to see press conferences from the county by saying what incredible work you have done,” said Gillotte, whose union contract with the county expired a week before fires. “It was not reconciled with my members.”
The documentary captures an assistant to a sheriff remembers slowing down his car in the middle of a hell while his tires founded. A rescuer tells images of his body camera to drive through black smoke during a beach patrol and spotting the beam of a pocket lamp – a hail of a man of a man whose house was about to be consumed by the flames. Firefighters share stories of double changes without food or sleep.
“My members do not moan. They don’t complain,” said Gillotte. “But they did a hell of a good job.”
The release of the film occurs about a month after the County Director of the County, Fesia Davenport, told unions that they would not obtain any increase in their new contracts due to unprecedented financial pressures. The county is struggling with $ 4 billion Sexual abuse regulationsan estimated $ 2 billion in the costs of forest fires and white house panels which hundreds of millions of The value of public health subsidies will soon be cut.
The position of Chief Executive Officer said in a statement that the county was trying to balance the need to pay the employees fairly while keeping the county solvent.
“The County of Los Angeles appreciates the essential contributions of our workforce, and we are deeply grateful for the courageous and important work of our firefighters and other first stakeholders during the unprecedented January forest fires,” the statement said. “At the same time, the county faces serious budgetary challenges on several fronts.”
Despite the punishable opposite, the county balanced its recommended budget of $ 48 billion for the next fiscal year, which makes prudent financial planning official. They said that the regulation of sexual abuses can be paid with bonds and the county’s rainfall, a pot rarely affected worth almost a billion dollars.
Unlike the county of the, the city of Los Angeles recently gave its workers significant salary increasewhich are now a major factor in a Budget deficit of $ 1 billionas well as the ball of legal payments and a weakening of the national economy.
The budget proposed by Mayor Karen Bass includes 1,650 layoffs, including a quarter of civilians in the police service. The city’s work negotiators began to speak to union leaders to postpone this year’s increases, which should cost around $ 250 million.
County unions insist that there are room for increases. Local section 721 of the SEIU, which represents around 55,000 county employees, accused the county of slow negotiations and plans to strike at the end of the month.
The unions representing the first stakeholders said that the county’s refusal to grant increases with a particularly brutal deaf noise among employees who expect to be rewarded for their work in forest fires.
“I am upset, without hesitation,” said Richard Pippin, head of the Assn. For the assistant sheriffs of Los Angeles, whose contract expired at the end of January. “Because the county is financially healthy than the city – even with the regulations. We know they have the budget. “
None of the five supervisors of the Comté de la La County responded to a request for comments.
The Sheriff Robert Luna, who enlightened the use of adjoise sequences in the documentary, said that he had pleaded for Davenport and supervisors to increase the salary of his deputies, warning that they will leave otherwise for better remunerated jurisdictions.
“They absolutely have to be quite paid,” said Luna. “We cannot go ahead and continue to get zero.”
To the, the union which represents the basic police officers said he would come back Bass for re -election after supporting his opponent, Rick Caruso, a billionaire developer, the last time.
When they were asked if they threatened political repercussions for supervisors, the county unions demonstrated.
“We just need the CEO to appear,” said Gillotte.
California Daily Newspapers
