Ex-exec sues Santa Anita Park for alleged forced resignation

By City News Service

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"cash-in-hand bonus."

The union, however, has been pushing for a 30% pay raise, with an additional boost for the lowest-paid workers.

SEIU workers have been working without a contract since June 2020. The union declared an impasse in negotiations in December, leading to the appointment of a state mediator.

In addition to salary demands, union officials have also alleged staffing shortages caused by an "over-reliance on a low-wage, part-time workforce." The union alleged shortages including:

-- insufficient teacher assistants, special education assistants and other instructional support to address learning loss and achievement gaps;

-- substandard cleaning and disinfecting at school campuses because of a lack of custodial staff;

-- jeopardized campus safety due to campus aides and playground supervisors being overburdened; and,

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news of a planned last-minute bargaining session. But it was called off before it could even materialize.

"We were never in the same room, or even in the same building," Carvalho said.

Arias said in a statement that the union had "agreed to enter a confidential mediation process with LAUSD to try and address our differences" on Monday.

"Unfortunately, LAUSD broke that confidentiality by sharing it with the media before our bargaining team, which makes all decisions, had a chance to discuss how to proceed," Arias said. "This is yet another example of the school district's continued disrespect of school workers. We are ready to strike.

"We want to be clear that we are not in negotiations with LAUSD. We continue to be engaged in the impasse process with the state."

As the strike unfolded, the LAUSD offered free food distribution for families on Tuesday morning at designated sites, providing three days of meals.

tion on "learning activities, Grab & Go food locations, tutoring services, enrichment activities and cultural opportunities across Los Angeles and Los Angeles County park locations that will provide free youth programs." The district also established a hotline at 213-443-1300, operating between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

In addition to the park programs, the Los Angeles Zoo will be offering free admission for students. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County will also offer students free admission as long as the strike persists.

The standoff between the district and SEIU has been riddled with accusations of unfair labor and bargaining practices.

Santa Anita Park is being sued by its former human resources director, who alleges she was forced to resign in 2021 after experiencing a backlash when she complained the company was not following a safe coronavirus protocol.

Plaintff Jill Eknoian-Lopez's Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges retaliation and constructive discharge and also names other defendants, including the Stronach Group Inc., the Arcadia race track's owner. She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit brought Friday.

An SAP representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Friday.

Eknoian-Lopez was hired in June 2015, had a positive work record and received favorable commendations and pay increases, the suit states. After the COVID-19 outbreak, she spoke out about what she believed were unlawful and risky conditions at SAP relating to compliance with coronavirus safety laws and the company's agreement with Los Angeles County health officials who permitted SAP to resume racing operations at a time when other businesses remain closed, the suit states.

After originally being shut down due to the health orders, SAP aggressively lobbied the county for permission to conduct business by maintaining that it could operate as a self-contained bubble, the suit states.

"In reality, SAP did not comply with the legally requirements imposed on it to operate," the suit alleges.

Some people, including "local senior leaders," entered and left the facility without complying with the requirements for doing so and did not comply with the required social distancing or facial covering rules, according to the suit.

"The individuals within the bubble were holding large parties or social gatherings at which they would not wear face coverings and not socially distance," the suit states.

The SAP reopening plan approved by the county required the reporting to of positive COVID-19 tests to health officials once a certain level was reached, the suit states.

"SAP violated these reporting rules by delaying, re-testing or refusing to report positive tests," the suit alleges.

Eknoian-Lopez reported her concerns to her supervisors and took part in an investigation in which they were confirmed, the suit states.

"When word got out that Ms. Eknoian-Lopez reported the park's senior leaders, the retaliation against her was swift and unrelenting," the suit states. "Ms. Eknoian-Lopez was isolated, her work suddenly became micro-managed and scrutinized, duties were taken from her (and) she was not provided her full bonus.

Eknoian-Lopez resigned in March 2021 due to her "unbearable work environment" and has suffered financial losses since then, according to her suit.

-- limited enrichment, after-school and parental engagement programs due to reduced work hours and lack of health care benefits for after-school workers and community representatives.

The unions have repeatedly said the district is sitting on a projected $4.9 billion reserve fund for 2022-23 that should be invested in workers and efforts to improve education through reduced class sizes and full staffing of all campuses. Carvalho has disputed that figure, saying an independent auditor that reviewed the district's books found no such surplus. He has also said that much of the district's reserve funds are federal dollars restricted for student programs or other one-time funds that cannot be used to increase salaries.

As of Tuesday morning, there were no publicly announced plans for any negotiating sessions between the district and union, likely meaning the strike will continue for the anticipated three days.

There was a glimmer of hope Monday for potentially avoiding the walkout, with

The strike is the first major labor disruption for the district since UTLA teachers went on strike for six days in 2019. That dispute ended in part to intervention by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti, who helped spur labor talks at City Hall and broker a deal between the district and union.

Mayor Karen Bass' office issued a statement Friday saying she was closely monitoring the situation. On Tuesday, she issued a statement saying the city was providing resources at parks and other facilities to provide "safe places" for students unable to attend classes.

"I will make sure the wellbeing of L.A. students always comes first as I continue to work with all parties to reach an agreement to reopen the schools and guarantee fair treatment of all LAUSD workers," she said.

The district on Friday announced the creation of a website at achieve.lausd. net/schoolupdates which will "provide resources for families during the work stoppage period" from Tuesday through Thursday. According to the district, the site has informa-

The LAUSD on Friday filed a legal challenge with the state Public Employment Relations Board seeking an injunction that would halt the strike, claiming the union's walkout was illegal. Over the weekend, however, the PERB denied the district's request for injunctive relief because it did not find "the extraordinary remedy of seeking injunctive relief to be met at this juncture," according to the LAUSD.

But, according to the district, the PERB did direct its Office of General Counsel to expedite the processing of the district's underlying unfair practice charge against SEIU Local 99, which alleged that the union and its members were engaging in an unlawful three-day strike.

The union has repeatedly accused the district of engaging in unfair labor practices, saying union members have been subjected to harassment and intimidation tactics during an earlier strikeauthorization vote and as the possible walkout neared.

Carvalho on Monday acknowledged those accusations, but said there is a process for investigating such claims, and "it takes time." He said the union was using those allegations as an "expedited way of creating a strike opportunity."