LOS ANGELES : City Workers OK 2-Year Contract With No Raise

The union that represents 6,500 blue-collar Los Angeles city workers has voted overwhelmingly for a contract that grants no pay raise, but guarantees that employees will not be laid off or have their pay cut because of Mayor Richard Riordan’s plans to turn some city services over to private companies.

More than 80% of the voting members of the Service Employees International Union, Local 347, approved the contract through June 30, 1996. It offered no raise for the next two fiscal years and no retroactive pay hike for the nearly two years workers went without a contract.

“No employees will suffer a demotion, layoff or loss of pay as a result of contracting,” said Dave Trowbridge, leader of the union that represents custodians, trash haulers and security officers. “Job security was and is our primary issue.”