LADWP deal bites back at City

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa may be regretting the sweet deal he gave workers at Water and Power.

Wearing black T-shirts that read "Will Strike if Provoked," more than 100 members of the Engineers and Architects Assn. packed the Los Angeles City Council chambers Tuesday to warn they are willing to walk off the job unless they get the same lucrative raises won by Department of Water and Power workers.

But Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa reiterated his contention that the city cannot afford to offer a similar contract. "We have a $248-million deficit," he said at Belmont High School, where he spoke at a rally encouraging students to stay in school.