LAPD makes several arrests during LA County union worker demonstration in downtown Los Angeles

About 55,000 workers across Los Angeles County are off the job Tuesday morning after a union representing workers approved a two-day strike after failed contract negotiations.  

Hundreds of thousands of union members hit the picket lines during a demonstration throughout downtown Los Angeles, blocking traffic near Fremont Avenue and 5th Street. The Los Angeles Police Department has made several arrests related to the demonstration. 

"We can't afford not to get a raise. This is ridiculous. That's why we're here fighting to get this raise," a woman at the rally said. 

Workers off the job include public works crews, people who work on traffic and lighting on the streets, public and mental health workers and social workers.

This is the first time the Service Employees International Union Local 721 has gone on strike in its history. It's a wall-to-wall strike, meaning everyone is on board here within the union.  

The strike began Monday at 7 p.m. and across multiple locations in the county and will remain in effect until Wednesday. What the union members are hoping for is a fair contract.

SEIU 721 President David Green told KCAL News that so far negotiations with the county have been unsuccessful, claiming they have not been engaged in "real bargaining," although they have been meeting at the table multiple times over the last six months. 

 The union points to unfair labor practices and is calling on the county to increase wages and fill vacancies.  

County officials have disputed the union's claims, saying that they're currently facing "unprecedented stresses on our budget," that includes a tentative $4 billion settlement of childhood assault claims, $2 billion in projected impact from the Palisades and Eaton fire damage and recovery and "potentially catastrophic loss of hundreds of millions or more in federal funding."

"We are committed to continuing constructive negotiations and to joining with labor on something we can all agree on — which is the County's absolutely essential role in serving the people who rely on us not just for safety net services but to make their lives better," the county said.

While this strike goes on, the LA County Department of Health Services said its medical centers will remain open. The reason they will be able to continue serving patients is because the county has contracted with non-unionized companies, part of what these workers striking are asking to change in their new contract. 

"I feel it's very unfair they put it that way, because look at the facts," said Kelly Zhou, a nurse anesthetist at LA General. "They are spending billions of dollars on contracting out. Those are the money that could be invested in our community."

She's worked there for more than 20 years and she's participating in the two-day strike.

Part of the problem is that the county has its own problems with its budget and needs to make sure its checks don't bounce. LA County is facing a tentative $4 billion settlement for childhood assault claims, plus $2 billion projected towards wildfire recovery and damages.