Los Angeles County union workers enter third day of strike following demonstration, arrests by LAPD

Los Angeles County union members were out overnight continuing their strike after failed contract negotiations had not reached a solution.

A crowd of workers left around 2 a.m. Wednesday and the Service Employees International Union Local 721 expects a big crowd to start forming again around 6 a.m.

The workers' union is accusing the county of failing to fairly negotiate a new contract. They say they have been working without a contract since the end of March, but they have been meeting at the table for the past six months.

 Workers want a new contract with better pay.  The union says they are severely understaffed and lack the resources to properly do their job. 

This is the first time SEIU 721 has gone on strike in its history.  It is a "wall-to-wall" strike, meaning every member within the union is on board with this. 

The strike began Monday at 7 p.m. and on Tuesday, it's estimated that 10,000 union members flooded the streets of downtown LA. A sea of purple marched from the Hall of Administration, where the Board of Supervisors was meeting, and made its way to 5th and Figueroa streets. 

During the demonstration, the union says 14 members were arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department for non-violent civil disobedience. The members were cited and then released.  

County leaders say they already have their hands full balancing the budget. The Board of Supervisors just approved a $4 billion settlement to child sexual assault victims, involving nearly 7,000 sexual abuse claims at county-run juvenile facilities and $2 billion projected to go toward wildfire recovery. Plus, they are at risk of losing federal funding, but workers say that's no excuse.