Judge Bars Layoffs of Hospital Workers
A judge Wednesday barred Los Angeles County from laying off 35 hospital workers who were scheduled to lose their jobs today. .
Superior Court Judge Diane Wayne issued a temporary restraining order blocking the layoffs of county hospital workers who belong to Service Employees International Union Local 660. The order does not mean the workers’ jobs have been saved; the union’s request for a permanent order will not be heard until later this month.
Lawyers for the union argued that the county had not exhausted all its options before making the decision to lay off the workers.
“This is an important victory for our union,” said Gilbert Cedillo, general manager of Local 660. “We will not accept anything less than dignity and respect for every county worker.”
The order does not stop all layoffs at the hospital. A total of 53 non-union hospital workers will lose their jobs.
While the union’s lawyers were in court, about 150 county workers marched in a picket line in front of the Department of Health Services headquarters Downtown. Many were angry not only about layoffs, but about the hundreds of transfers the department has ordered.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
