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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on reaching a deal to end the strike at the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports in California.
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Port workers in -- centers and Long Beach are returning to work today and thank goodness it was costing billions each day.
This after reaching a deal -- management last night and settling their.
Eight days strike.
We are joined now by a man who helped with the negotiations Los Angeles mayor Antonio the year ago so welcome their -- -- cosa.
I Liz hi David how are yeah good well it was interesting to see you yesterday saying okay we've got to go to federal mediation -- -- could benefit what a blink of an I fourteen seconds suddenly a deal.
What brought you to that step of saying guys it's gotta go to the Fed's at this point.
Well I've been working with them for about -- and a half years in the fact that avoided a couple of strikes over those years but it came to this I was at a trade mission in Latin America promoting the -- the airport that.
Largest destination airport the largest port complex in the United States -- 45.
Percent of policy borne goods I called them up from Brazil got -- and Colombia and said you gotta do this around a lot.
I came back early and made sure that they did and I said look we're gonna be here till we drop -- we're gonna have to settle this thing and I got -- about 1130 on Monday night.
By 10 o'clock in the morning I said look.
You guys -- too far apart we need to bring in a federal mediator.
They've both finally agreed to do that and then they got this there is negotiations.
And we actually -- this thing.
Before the mediator got there up.
About 830 last night.
Well -- -- but you still have a lot of stuff on those votes on those dictatorships and it has to be brought in the last time this happened ten years ago it cost about a billion dollars today but that.
Strike -- -- -- -- was was during the fall this is right before the Christmas season can you get the stuff.
From the ships onto the shelves in time for the Christmas -- it.
No question about it we're gonna work as hard as we -- around the clock to get that.
Those goods to their stories and their factories.
As you said this is a billion dollar -- Proposition we lost about eight billion dollars here about we're gonna work really hard debt.
Get all the goods and merchandise to the retailers.
The goods.
That the factories need to keep bond and operated here in this county.
Well we're thrilled that it's resolved because LA's unemployment rate is eleven point 4% the worst possible thing that -- happened for the entire state of California is to add to that but nonetheless.
LA is in -- Very -- well that worst possible thing and I made it absolutely clear to both parties that we weren't gonna tolerate it that we had to get this settled that we were able to do that.
And we're here brought about a -- Or great -- dollar here at farmer's -- a great opportunity to bring and a football stadium.
To make LA convention centers Citi.
Build about seven hotels and really.
Kind of transform.
The downtown that I used to work -- Shining shoes in the 1950s.
Well you know Latin and I was there with the -- -- from LA the LA rams and I was a kid than the raiders and then nothing.
How we gonna get -- -- there where's it gonna come from do you believe we'll finally get an NHL team again there.
And NFL team yes yeah.
And I too used to go to the -- and raider games and it's time rally above a comeback and that's why.
We led the charge did make farmer's field happen to put the -- gathered to approve.
The IR all of what comes -- that.
As I said this is critical not just for football and not just for one football team I expect when it's all said and done we'll get to football team's -- -- great.
Stadium here but it will also have a great convention centers as Citi would seven new hotels all around here.
This is a game changer for us you know when you look at downtown -- just a decade ago before LA live before.
As Staples Center it was a ghost town.
Now you can shop and walk -- and ET here late at night and feel very very safe LA safer by the way -- -- time since 1950 due.
Ten year consecutive drop in crime -- Robert I got done.
-- you have you have done you have done an extraordinary job of bringing -- -- that is very we're probably the number one concern of most city dwellers.
But you've been less successful in dealing with a very big part of the budget and that's the pension costs of all the this city workers.
You had a plan that was just shot down attitude to kind of make that the plans more before one K like they've done in San Diego that was shot down because it.
Unions were against set.
But you have had a five fold increase in the annual payouts for pensions over the past dozen years or so.
How are you gonna meet -- that growing demand how -- -- gonna straighten that out.
Well first off thank you for asking that question.
Pension.
I hear in this city and in -- municipalities across that that country aren't sustainable going into the future we're living a lot longer.
I'm gonna be sixty in January -- hope to let go -- eighty you can't retire and get that and the proportion of your salary that you did.
In another era and so.
We've actually gotten our employees to go from 6%.
211% the largest job.
In the state in one of the largest in the United States that's our current employees I've put a plan together you write one plan failed that was the rare in plan.
I've -- a planning -- gathered at moved.
-- retirement for new employees from 55 to 65 to reduce.
What it yet at the end of you have -- William Hill near Obama dumped on that the union says that's unacceptable.
Well they've dumped on it but we passed that down a 140.
Vote and for new employees that's going to be the new paradigm and so you're right.
There's there's opposition to that they like yeah.
Putting pictures of me and Governor Walker but at the end of the day.
We've got -- -- we've got to protect pension security for our current employees.
Put a plan together we have for new employees.
I would have liked to have seen us go even further but I'll tell -- it was a giant step forward when you look at where we were.
Well Mara thank you very much we're glad that the strike is over and the only good thing about the NHL lockout is at the LA kings can hold on to the Stanley Cup and -- -- couple.
Yeah yeah have a much cleaner Dodgers stadium now too -- well with a new ownership right quickly.
There's no wait we've got a great dodger ownership and could be more excited about next year.
And the same with the lakers.
You just saw what the galaxy did in the -- This is a great let's first outlet for reporting currency outlets for that matter is that people are -- -- -- purpose.
That's the hot ticket and -- -- why don't we -- New York as well -- you have to understand we've got a -- if you tell Larry thank you very much good to see you thank you so much --
