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Union coalition urges council to restore positions, warns vacancies will cut services
Summary
Union representatives told the City Council that proposed eliminations of budgeted civil-service positions will reduce service delivery and push more work to private contractors; the council heard the presentation and voted to proceed with the public hearing on vacancies and workforce impacts.
A coalition of city-union representatives urged the Los Angeles City Council on May 27 to restore budgeted civil-service positions and to avoid replacing core workers with private contractors, saying chronic vacancies and proposed cuts in the 2025-26 budget will harm essential services.
Charles Len, identified in the meeting as regional coordinator for local 721, told the council the coalition represents about 25,000 city workers across nearly every department and called for a sustained plan to recruit and retain civil servants. Len said the coalition's strategy includes restoring roughly 1,000 positions the city has left vacant, reducing reliance on outside contractors and building a pathway to hire from within.
Larry Gaines, introduced himself as president of Aspen 390 and a member of a vacancy task force, told councilmembers the coalition favors creating a tactical plan to evaluate departments and to develop a restoration and recruitment plan. Speakers argued that outsourcing services or relying on contractors carries higher long-term costs and reduces accountability.
Councilmembers thanked union speakers and said the presentation raised issues the council would take to committee. Councilmember Roman and Councilmember McOsker (committee chair remarks appear in the transcript) emphasized metrics the council should track, such as retention rates, promotion-from-within rates and vacancy counts, and noted that a portal-based transfer process has been introduced to prioritize internal hires for vacant positions.
After the presentation the council voted to proceed with the item and to take the related budget actions; the clerk recorded the vote on item 27 as 14 in favor. Council and staff said they will continue the conversation in the Personnel Committee and expect follow-up work on recruitment, retention and the portal for transfers.
Union presenters asked the city to accelerate plans to restore positions and to include clear performance metrics in future reports so the council can monitor hiring and retention progress.
