Staples Operating Engineers Vote to Strike

Operating engineers working at Los Angeles’ Staples Center voted to strike, jeopardizing plans for a labor peace accord two months before the Democratic National Convention opens here. The strike would be against Sempra Energy, one of the center’s founding partners, which employs the seven engineers at Staples. It was not clear when the strike would begin. The engineers, members of Operating Engineers Local 501, run the central plant, handling all air conditioning, heating, major electrical and ice making. Lee Zeidman, vice president of operations for the center, said the strike would not affect upcoming events. “We would not miss a beat here,” he said. “Sempra would provide us with engineers. They would have to replace them.” It is the final unsettled labor dispute at Staples. County labor officials have said they will not sign a peace accord being sought by Democratic convention planners until all labor contracts at the center are signed.