Posts tagged City Council
Most L.A. city employee layoffs averted by deals with unions
August 22, 2025 // The layoffs would have affected 222 civilian LAPD employees, such as clerks and administrative support workers. No sworn LAPD officers were slated to be laid off, but some would have had to do the work of the civilians who departed. "We are continuing to do everything we can to bring layoff numbers down and I want everyone to know that we are still working and anticipate this number to get even lower," Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. "These numbers are not final." Meanwhile, the Engineers and Architects Assn. authorized a deal for its 6,000 members to take as many as five unpaid vacation days — effectively furloughs — between Jan. 1 and June 30 next year, which could amount to about a 2% pay cut. The deal saved the jobs of 63 Engineers and Architects Assn. members who do not work for the LAPD, in roles such as city planner, analyst and civilian investigator.
The Providence City Council has passed 14 pro-union resolutions. What’s behind the push?
June 20, 2025 // Last month, Miller and Councilors Justin Roias and Miguel Sanchez joined striking workers at the Butler Hospital picket line. The council is currently considering an amendment to the city’s noise ordinance that would exempt striking workers, following a series of $500 fines issued against those at Butler Hospital for violating the ordinance. Miller has a background in labor organizing, but she said that everybody on the council is passionate about supporting working-class people in Providence and that’s why they prioritize causes such as addressing the city's housing and affordability crisis.
South Hampton Roads mayors form regional coalition against collective bargaining
February 18, 2025 // Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer said he’s recruiting mayors in South Hampton Roads and plans to reach out to mayors on Peninsula to form a group and hold meetings “to fend off collective bargaining because of the incredible cost.” “They’re (state lawmakers) trying to impose collective bargaining on every city, and making sure the city has no choice,” said Dyer in an interview.
A year after vote, Portsmouth city workers demand progress on collective bargaining
December 14, 2024 // Council members Mark Hugel and Vernon Tillage said City Council has been reviewing the draft ordinance, with Hugel adding that the next move is a closed session to finetune details before a vote. Tillage said a vote isn’t expected until after the newly elected council is sworn in. Virginia was one of a few states with a blanket ban on collective bargaining for public sector employees until 2020, when the Democrat-controlled General Assembly enacted a new law, effective 2021, punting the final say to localities.
NORTH CAROLINA: Sanitation workers say Tuesday will be end of 6-day strike in Durham
September 11, 2023 // The group said Monday that the city’s Solid Waste Management Department threatened to stop paying them while the strike continued on. The strike had come with a demand for a $5,000 bonus, among other requirements. On Friday, CBS 17 was in downtown Durham when many solid waste workers held a rally. Several sanitation employees have told CBS 17 they make between $19 to $25 an hour. According to the union, wages have gone up by 15% since 2019, but inflation and cost of living have increased by nearly 23%.
San Jose workers strike paused as terms sent to city council, labor groups say
August 16, 2023 // The workers are calling for better wages, better working conditions and asking the city to address nearly 800 job vacancies. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan released the following statement: "While I support substantial raises for our workers, I will be paying close attention to the Budget Office's projected fiscal impact before voting on the proposal. Signing up for tens of millions of dollars in projected deficits and, therefore, likely future service cuts and layoffs wouldn't be fair to city workers or residents. I won't vote for something today that's going to hurt us tomorrow."
Va. firefighters, medics press city for union rights
August 2, 2023 // Virginia Beach is considering collective bargaining for its employees and officers. In 2020, Portsmouth was the first Hampton Roads city to authorize collective bargaining for city employees thanks to a unanimous City Council vote. The resolution at the time called for a working group of city leaders and subject matter experts to explore procedures on how to make it happen when the law became effective the following year. But City Council reversed course when that time came after then-Chief Financial Officer Mimi Terry, now interim city manager, informed members that such efforts would likely cost the city $2 million to begin the process while limiting expansion of other services. The council then adopted a resolution to no longer grant employees the ability to collectively bargain.
Measure Designed to Allow Nonprofit Employees to Unionize Advances Over Lightfoot’s Objection
March 15, 2023 // A measure designed to make it easier for workers at Chicago nonprofit organizations to unionize advanced Tuesday over the objections of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration, a coalition of social service agencies and the Chicago Chamber of Commerce. After languishing in limbo for more than three years, the proposal — dubbed the Human Service Workforce Advancement Ordinance — now heads to the Chicago City Council for a final vote on Wednesday. A joint body made up of the committees on Health and Human Relations and Workforce Development advanced the plan Tuesday with a vote of 24-5 after a contentious two-hour meeting. Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Department of Public Health, urged City Council members to delay a vote on the proposal, saying it could have unanticipated consequences that could disrupt the organizations that make up the city’s social safety net.
Opinion: LANFORD: Police collective bargaining is a mistake
November 9, 2022 // If Charlottesville wants to truly value civilian oversight, then police unions should be out of bounds
City of Santa Cruz workers will strike next week
October 5, 2022 // “It’s unfortunate that it has reached this point,” said Santa Cruz City Manager Matt Huffaker. “But we are striving to meet the needs of our employees while also being fiscally responsible.” Workers with SEIU Local 521, are frustrated with the city’s inability to recruit and retain employees to reach adequate staffing levels, treatment of its workers, and the attempts to compare cost-of-living adjustment proposals accepted by city executives to the salaries of front-line service workers, according to union organizers.