July 16, 2010—Informational meetings are taking place all over the city at lunchtime. For more information, call Kevin at (213) 321-7522 or send an email to lacityprofessionals@seiu721.org.

June 17, 2010—LA City professionals are working to mitigate the impact of planned layoffs. In meetings with the City on Tuesday, June 15, bargaining team members reduced the number of MOU 8 and 17 members slated for layoff from 37 to 16.

"Members of the bargaining teams demanded an updated list of the layoffs," bargaining team members Gus Malkoun and Fred Burnett wrote in an email sent on Wednesday night. "In updating the list, the number got smaller and smaller."

• Transportation and General Services Departments eliminated layoffs planned for their departments.
• Building & Safety and ITA reduced their layoff numbers.

Read more at SEIU721.org.

May 7, 2010—LA City workers are continuing to stand for a strong budget for LA that enhances public safety and focuses on cost-effective delivery of critical front-line services—without layoffs and furloughs. It expects the City of Los Angeles to be more agile and responsive, and manage smarter:

• Collect some of the millions owed it by big debtors
  
• Trim non-essential contracts and find savings in the essential ones
  
• Hold banks accountable for maintaining foreclosed proper ties that blight our neighborhoods
  
• Contract work in for greater efficiency

Every idea in our budget comes from a city worker. Every dollar is verified and documented by SEIU 721 researchers and coalition analysts. Please check it out at www.keeplastrong.com.

Download the latest LA City budget update from SEIU 721 here.
Find more updates on www.facebook.com/seiu721 | www.twitter.com/seiu721

April 19, 2010—LA city trash trucks rolled out across the city this morning with a bright red message to Mayor Villaraigosa: "Don't Give Up on LA, Mr. Mayor."

Nearly 800 trucks that pick up trash daily from 150,000 households across the city carried posters referring residents to www.keepLAstrong.com, a project of SEIU 721 and the Coalition of LA City Unions, where city workers have made their own budget proposals to close the $432 million budget gap for next year and protect parks and libraries.

Management discovered the posters and halted many of the trucks. But dozens still got through to deliver the word of our strong budget to thousands of homes. Read more at seiu721.org.