EAA, IBEW 11 Unite to Save Jobs from City Budget Axe
United Front Sends Powerful Message to Los Angeles City Council, Mayor
By Jeremy Kehoe
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed a $13-billion budget last week that approves steep program cuts and hundreds of layoffs citywide to close a record $1-billion deficit. But thanks in part to an intense, targeted lobbying campaign led by the combined efforts of the Engineers & Architects Association (EAA) and IBEW 11 many of the programs that employ most Local 11 members appear to have been spared the brunt of that budget axe.
The City Council has still not released a final, detailed budget, however. EAA and IBEW 11 are preparing for that breakdown so they can review every bullet point, dollar sign, comma, and decimal point to determine the true impact and begin negotiations to help protect members.
“Solidarity between our two groups has been key to our success in budget talks so far,” said IBEW 11 Business Manager Robert Corona. “We’ve been out at City Hall rallying, showing up at Council meetings, and talking to our elected officials to make sure our voice is heard – and
it’s working.”
“I’m proud of our EAA/IBEW members and the power in unity they’ve displayed throughout this brutal budget cycle,” said EAA Executive Director Marlene Fonseca. “They’ve faced weeks of disrespect, fear, and confusion, with no answers about who will be affected or when. Regardless, they showed up for each other and because of that, the number of layoffs were reduced.” EAA represents over 5,000 city employees, many of whom are also IBEW 11 members.
However, Fonseca continued, “there’s still work to do. We’ll continue advocating until every possible solution has been exhausted.”
Over the next few weeks EAA and IBEW 11 will continue meeting individually with every City Council member to further advocate for members’ rights and representation and find solutions to mitigate the impact of the budget cuts, which could still result in as many as 200 jobs lost, far fewer than the original number of positions slated
for layoffs.
“From the moment it became clear that this budget crisis was very real, our communications with our members has been non-stop, because it’s important that we share the facts and prepare them and inform them on what we’re doing to represent them,” Fonseca said.
EAA and IBEW had spent the last six months actively lobbying LA City Council members to ensure union voices were heard, air concerns about the impact of cuts to vital infrastructure programs, and spotlight the impact union jobs continue to deliver to power the Southern California economy. Those efforts led to the restoration of 1,000 public sector positions that had originally been slated for elimination, Fonseca said.
“During the budget process, IBEW Local 11 members showed up and stood shoulder to shoulder with us, both outside City Hall in protest and inside Council chambers during our presentation to the Budget and Finance Committee,” said Fonseca. “Their presence sent a powerful message: an injury to one is an injury to all. We’re grateful for the solidarity and support in the fight to protect city jobs and expose the injustice embedded in this budget.”
The biggest impact on EAA brothers and sisters are those employed by the Los Angeles Police Department, with as many as 95 jobs proposed to be eliminated, including crime intelligence analysts and principal clerks of police, as well as 30 members who now work as management analysts at the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Many DOT programs, such as adding new bus lines and electrifying the bus fleet, depend on grant funding, and losing those analysts positions could have an immediate, adverse financial and logistical impact as the city prepares to host the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
“The danger of cutting these analysts classifications is that these are the folks that are procuring grants, so these are positions that actually bring grant money into the city that funds programs that are important to constituents,” said Fonseca. “So, when you get rid of these analysts the city runs the risk of losing money either because you’re not procuring grants or not remaining compliance with the grants.”
The new city budget is for the fiscal year that starts July 1, and the positions the city has proposed to eliminate are funded for the next four months. EAA and IBEW will use that window to connect with members as well as continue to pressure City Council members to make sure union voices
are heard.
“We remain committed to protecting jobs, demanding transparency, and ensuring their work is recognized and respected,” Fonseca said. “I ask our members to stay engaged, stay informed and keep standing together. That’s what unions do.”
