A little more than two weeks after their official certification as an organized union local, Los Angeles and Orange County CA EMS professionals secured a roadblock win today with the help of IAEP assistant general counsel Kathleen Sage. The local's employer, Care Ambulance Service (a division of Falck USA), was halted at the starting line of their most recent shift bid as a result of the agreement. Previous shift restructuring in the face of COVID-19 and call volume fluctuation earlier this year had been met with steep backlash by the majority of Care employees. Deep cuts in working hours in addition to the shuffling of shifts had left many part-time and full-time employees fighting to make ends meet. 

 

In a no-fault agreement, the two parties have cooperated to halt the proposed bid while laying down protocol regarding negotiations between union and managment representatives going forward. With shop steward training completed and bargaining committee elections around the corner for local 370, it is expected that contract negotiations will be under way in the very near future. Having established the first amicable agreement at Care so early in the organizing process there is certainly hope for progressive cooperation at the bargaining table.