More than two hundred Los Angeles County court interpreters demanding graduated pay increases went on strike Wednesday, disrupting cases throughout the system, court officials said.
Interpreters picketed at several courthouses around the county and pledged to stay out as long as necessary.
"Our services are absolutely indispensable," said Karen Stevens, a Spanish-language interpreter picketing in front of the downtown Criminal Courts building. "Our work should be recognized."
About 240 staff interpreters and nearly a dozen contract interpreters did not show up for work as scheduled Wednesday, court spokesman Allan Parachini said.
Judges responded to the strike by continuing cases and rearranging their daily schedules. No courtrooms were closed.
"Effects of this are being felt throughout the county," Parachini said.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court also planned, as provided by law, to provisionally certify as interpreters about three dozen court employees who are fluent in another language and have taken some training courses. Parachini said the court is consulting with the general counsel at the Administrative Office of the Courts to determine what step to take next.
The interpreters working for Los Angeles County courts received a 2.5% pay raise last year and were offered a 4% increase last month, raising their salaries to more than $73,000.
But the interpreters want a graduated pay scale that would give them 22% salary increases over five years. They say other court employees receive such pay raises and that they deserve to as well. The money for the increases would come from funds allocated in the state budget, they said.
"It's a question of fairness," said Alex Abella, who has been working as a Spanish-language court interpreter for 20 years. "We don't want to do this. They have forced us to do this."
Union officials with the California Federation of Interpreters estimated that more than 90% of the roughly 400 interpreters in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties participated in the strike. Interpreters, who were independent contractors until two years ago, translate in dozens of languages, including Vietnamese, Russian, Armenian and Hebrew.
Japanese-language interpreter Nao Ikeuchi said he could earn a much higher salary working for private agencies or the federal courts. And if interpreters don't get a graduated salary schedule, Ikeuchi said he might do just that.
