Judge: 200 City Workers Can’t Strike

A Superior Court judge has granted a temporary restraining order that bars certain members of the city’s Engineers and Architects Association from walking off the job. The ruling by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dzintra I. Janavs prevents about 200 workers in the city’s 911 and 311 centers, department of sanitation and Los Angeles World Airports from picketing. The union has threatened to strike Tuesday, a move representatives and supporters said could cause massive disruptions citywide. In a statement, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the court order protects critical city jobs. “The court today sent a clear message: While we will always respect the right of workers to organize, we cannot tolerate any effort to compromise the safety of the people of Los Angeles,” the mayor said. Villaraigosa, a former union organizer, said the city is not afraid to take legal action in case of a walk-out. “Any attempt to threaten the safety of the people of Los Angeles will be dealt with swiftly, and with the full weight of the law,” he said. The union represents about 7,500 city engineers, administrators, attorneys and technicians, including those at Van Nuys Regional Airport. The union’s contract expired in 2004. Organizers are demanding increases in wages in line with those recently given to police officers and Department of Water and Power employees.