Los Angeles County, CA, April 28—After months of bargaining and working almost a month without a contract, more than 55,000 workers represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 721 walked off the job for an historic 48- hour strike. Historic because this is the first time that every Los Angeles (LA) County department has gone on strike at the same time. As communists and members of Progressive Labor Party (PLP), we know that even the best union contract cannot get workers the wages and working conditions they deserve because the bosses can always take back what we fought so hard for. Even so, striking shows the immense power the working class has when we organize together. When we take it a step further by fighting for a workers' state, nothing can stop us!
Base-building is key
This strike is the result of months of organizing. In September, 2024, the majority of the membership voted to authorize an unfair labor practices strike. The strike was originally scheduled for October 10 but was delayed indefinitely when management agreed to begin contract negotiations early. In February and March of this year, thousands of workers held practice pickets across the 4,084 square-mile service area as the end of our contract rapidly approached with no tentative agreement in sight.
For months we fought management's blatant disrespect at the bargaining table while we continued to prepare our coworkers for the looming strike action. As workers whose jobs are dedicated to serving the public, many were hesitant to walk out. Some weren't union members, while others brought up valid criticisms of the union, feeling forgotten by it in favor of some of the bigger departments. In fact, the seeming neglect of our department by the union was one reason our members had previously been reluctant to get involved in union work.
When the official picket sites were announced, we were dismayed to see that only two of the five sites we requested were on the list. After scouring the list to find the best sites for our department, we decided that we needed at least one of the three rejected sites. A PLP member took the lead to make the picket happen. By organizing with coworkers, members of a former mass organization, and community members, 25 people came out to picket all day. If it had been listed on the union website, there would have been even more participation because there was a large swath of neighborhoods in that section of the county that had no picket sites. In the end, our department ended up having to close half our locations during the strike, and we organized contingents at three picket lines, including the one organized and led by a PLP member.
Liberals are the main danger
Over 10,000 workers flooded downtown LA for a rally and march outside of the LA County Board of Supervisors meeting. The five supervisors, including former Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, are all women and majority Democrats even though they are elected as non-partisan candidates. Despite their so-called progressive stances on workers’ rights and public services, Democratic politicians oversee union-busting, the displacement of workers from their homes, and the maintenance of the largest prison system in the country. Democratic political strongholds like California and New York City—home to Rikers Island, the largest penal colony in the world—serve as stark testaments to the racist brutality of liberal politicians and the fascist danger that they pose to the working class.
The future is bright
Moving forward, ten new colleagues have been exposed to CHALLENGE, and we will be following up with invitations to upcoming events. The lack of union attention for our department is slowly being changed. After the contract is negotiated, the union president promised to meet with members about our conditions and concerns. Of course, without workers coming together and putting pressure, nothing will change. Organizing for this strike has energized our colleagues to take action and not just talk.
The contract negotiations continue with no tentative agreement yet, but the organizing won't stop there. We have shown the power of collective action and will continue to fight for better conditions for ourselves and the public we serve. At the same time, those of us in the Progressive Labor Party will organize to get rid of this capitalist system once and for all and replace it with a system run by and for the working class, that’s communism.
