COUNTY WORKERS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR STRIKE OVER PAY.

Byline: Lee Condon Daily News Staff Writer

The county's largest employees union Thursday laid out its plans to strike for a pay raise if negotiations for a new contract are unsuccessful by next week.

Service Employees International Union Local 660, which represents about half of the county's 81,000 workers, presented a calendar of planned ``rolling'' strikes that would affect various county departments from Wednesday through Oct. 6.

If a contract is not reached by Oct. 7, the union will hold a countywide strike, starting with a ``massive'' demonstration before the Board of Supervisors, said Annelle Grajeda, the union's general manager.

``If they don't get it, we've got a serious strike plan in place,'' Grajeda said.

Negotiators for the union have asked for raises for various bargaining units ranging from 6 percent to 7 percent a year. The county has offered the employees 1.5 percent raises for each of the next three years. The union and negotiators plan to talk Monday and Tuesday.

Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen said he is hopeful that negotiators and the union can cut a deal by Tuesday, the day the employees' contract expires.

Still, the county is ready should a strike occur. ``All departments have contingency plans for strikes,'' Janssen said.

Most departments would use various managers, supervisors and nonrepresented employees to fill in critical positions.

``We can't pretend a strike doesn't have impact,'' Janssen said. ``You're going to have reduced service levels.''

Like other county unions, Local 660 has spent the summer in negotiations with the county for pay increases. Union officials say most county employees have not received cost-of-living adjustments in three to five years, going without pay raises because of the budget crisis from which the county is just now recovering.

Union officials released a poll Thursday that they said showed Los Angeles County voters support raises for county workers.

Pollster David Binder said his firm randomly called 400 people who voted in the November election and asked their opinion on whether they supported a raise for county workers. About 45 percent of those called said raising employee pay should be the county's highest budget priority. Also, 53 percent said the county could afford a larger raise, while 19 percent felt the county could only manage a small increase.

``It's clear to us the public is on our side in this fight,'' Grajeda said. ``They connect with workers who have not had increases in four to five years.''

The county's battle with its labor unions has been heating up in recent weeks. Hundreds of sheriff's deputies have called in sick at local courts and jails as part of their efforts to get 5 percent raises.