Helicopter Rescue for L.A. City Budget

Workers Reveal Great Ideas to Close $400-Million Gap

L.A. City officials have proposed layoffs and service cuts to close a $400-million budget gap. SEIU 721 helicopter mechanic Bruce Posten and his colleagues have a better idea: Complete new helicopters in-house, rather then sending them off to Texas to be fully customized and painted. Estimated savings? $450,000 per aircraft, which would bring the city millions every year.

Posten joined other city workers April 28 to reveal their great budget ideas, the result of a months-long innovation brainstorm. City workers have been sending their ideas to increase efficiency and improve services to www.SaveCityServices.com. Workers and union leaders handed City Council members a list of hundreds of ideas that could help save money and vital services. SEIU 721 is committed to protect jobs and the city services that they represent.

Early Retirement Plan on the Table

The Coalition of L.A. City Unions has also proposed a plan that would reward city workers close to retirement who have committed their lives to L.A. by offering a buyout or early retirement. This will allow managers to restructure their departments, streamline operations, and train for the future while protecting the services Angelenos need now more than ever. It would also avoid putting more young Los Angeles families on the unemployment line in this fragile economy. The Coalition has proposed the plan, and as the Los Angeles Times reported today on their website, the Mayor and some City Council members have said they will look at this and other alternative to budget cuts offered by the six unions comprising the Coalition.

5 More Great Ideas from SEIU Members to Increase Efficiency, Savings, and New Revenue

1. Compete for Sanitation Services: L.A. sanitation workers are national leaders in efficiency, and they can compete with private companies for contracts in neighboring cities.

2. Lease out Surplus Property: L.A. has a lot of surplus property it could commit to long-term leases.

3. Civilianize the LAPD: Officers are doing civilian work, such as transporting prisoners. Taking those jobs back will put more officers on the streets and create more work for our members.

4. Tag more dogs: Put some teeth into the city's animal services enforcement to make our streets safer.

5. Go "paperless": Put city workers at the leading edge of the green L.A. movement, working to reduce paper trails and make it easier for the public to communicate with government.

Get our flyer with Coalition chair Cheryl Parisi's April 28 statement to the L.A. City Council (pdf)