LOS ANGELES, CA — After the Los Angeles officials announced Wednesday that layoffs within the government would be “inevitable” to make up for a $1 billion budget deficit for the coming fiscal year, city officials are bracing for uncomfortable conversations, especially with unions.
In the past couple of years, the city achieved labor peace by agreeing to salary raises for most of its workers, including the Los Angeles Fire and Police Departments, largely because of inflationary pressures to “pay them a fair wage,” according to City Administrator Matt Szabo.