10:35 PM (BCN):San Francisco police arrested 18 people this evening during a demonstration in which unionized employees blocked part of Market Street in protest of layoffs and wage reductions.
Protesters marched from City Hall to Market Street and, at about 6 p.m., a circle of demonstrators was blocking the intersection of Market and Eighth streets. Police Lt. Lyn Tomioka said 18 protesters were arrested at the intersection for obstructing traffic.
The demonstrators were cited and released, Tomioka said.
Service Employee International Union Local 1021 officials say the city intends to lay off 500 city public health and school district employees and that the layoffs could be prevented by a budget appropriation to be considered by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
7:33 PM: Appeal reporter Chris Roberts, reporting from the scene, says that it was the executive board of the SEIU Local 1021 were the ones standing in the middle of the street, blocking traffic at Market and 8th. We’re told that they’d been trying to get arrested for about a week, ever since they occupied Newsom’s office. They tried harder this time, and we’re arrested at the scene. Traffic was moving approximately 50 minutes later, by 7 PM.
6:45 PM (BCN): Unionized city employees protesting layoffs and wage reductions marched from San Francisco City Hall to Market Street this afternoon, blocking off a busy intersection during rush hour.
A circle of demonstrators was blocking the intersection of Market and Eighth streets at 6 p.m.
Service Employee International Union Local 1021 officials say the city intends to lay off 500 city public health and school district employees and that the layoffs could be prevented by a budget appropriation to be considered by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
