Eye On Pioneer interviews Robert Montenez, who tells his story about how Labor Community Services - Los Angeles helped his family after losing their home in the Altadena wildfire in January. Montenez is an employee with the City of Pasadena, and a member of AFSCME Local 858. Montenez lost his home during the LA wildfires, specifically the Eaton fire which burned much of Altadena, Calif. Montenez received invaluable assistance from Labor Community Services - Los Angeles (LCS-LA), the premier nonprofit of the LA Federation of Labor. LCS-LA provides a safety net for worker families with a variety of services, including disaster relief, food programs, and financial literacy,

Cerritos, California - Cerritos city employees, represented by AFSCME Local 619, did something very bold and unusual. They endorsed four candidates in a race with only three open seats. Cerritos employees announced their endorsements for the March 4 General Election for Cerritos City Council. While only three seats are open in this cycle, the union has taken the extraordinary step of endorsing four candidates, recognizing that an exceptional group of individuals have emerged as true champions for working families and the community at large.  The endorsed candidates are: Mark Pulido Jennifer Hong Pat Patnaik Riaz Surti “Our endorsement process is driven by our commitment to ensuring strong, principled leadership in Cerritos,” said Rogan Girard, President of AFSCME Local 619. “This year, we encountered a unique situation where more than three candidates clearly stood out as aligned with our values, vision, and dedication to public service. Rather than limit our support arbitrarily, w...

  A salary study commissioned by ABC Unified School District (ABCUSD) found that its custodians, bus drivers, food service workers and trade workers are among the lowest paid among other area school districts.  Despite their own research's suggestion to increase wages, ABCUSD is choosing to do nothing instead. ABCUSD and the employee union (AFSCME Local 2229) had previously negotiated to conduct the salary study. Local 2229 represents ABCUSD's custodians, bus drivers, food service workers and trade workers (electricians, carpenters and HVAC technicians).   The study compared six jointly selected school districts and the study was completed in June 2023.  In all job categories, ABCUSD employees were paid below average and in most categories, were last place or second to last. Since the studies completion, the Union has looked at even more districts and has found this situation to be generally true.  For example, the top salary for mechanics at ABC District is be...

  Artesia, California - Corporate interests are seeking to undermine the ability of Artesia residents to govern themselves. National Ready Mix, and allegedly others, have apparently partnered with a San Diego corporate activist attorney called Everview Law to create an initiative to alter Artesia’s residential zones. But that’s not how they sold it to the Artesians: in flyers and in person, petitioners have told residents that the purpose of the initiative is to prevent a sales tax increase. Residents who signed the petition are saying that the company lied to them by saying the initiative was about preventing sales taxes. National Ready Mix is a successful corporation in Artesia. For years, National Ready Mix has been opposing a housing development bordering its property line, from the developers at G3 Urban.  Bait and Switch This bait and switch tactic was successful in convincing enough Artesians into signing the petition and therefore qualifying it to go to election. Thes...

Local 3947 Sergeant of Arms – Fracisco Guetierrez, President Lupita Gomez- Duran, City Attorney Perrodin, Legal Technician Sandra De Dios, Vice President Jose Lozano By Andrew Perry Vice President, AFSCME District Council 36 City of Compton rightfully paid back wages to Legal Technician Sandra De Dios, in the amount of $92,000, for working out of class for an extended period of time. Over the years, the dedicated members of AFSCME Local 3947 have faced numerous challenges stemming from unstable management, budget deficits, and unfortunate layoffs. This situation has forced our members to shoulder increased workloads, often without the corresponding compensation they rightfully deserve. The city administration's reluctance to provide adequate remuneration has further compounded the difficulties faced by our members. The ever-changing landscape of Compton's leadership, with at least 6 City Managers and 4 different City Attorneys since 2015, has created an environment characterize...

  By Andrew Perry President, Artesia Local 1520 Vice President, AFSCME District Council 36 Artesia, California - City employees had to do a double take when the City Council decided to offer handsome salary increases for two managers in particular, while maintaining historic low salaries for all other employees. As union president, I take the philosophy of transparent local government to heart. Many Artesians have expressed to me the approval of not just the fight for the City in 2021, but also the reasons behind it - that employees were concerned about the City's finances and the ability of the City to serve its residents. Recent events have again raised concerns about transparency, particularly in light of the roles these two managers played in 2021, when the City was under a different city manager, whom employees contend ran the City like a mafia boss. How Two High Level Managers Compromise Artesia's Integrity When every employee rebelled against the former City Manager for...