Los Angeles School Strike Ends, but No Deal Announced
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 12 months ago on
March 24, 2023
SEIU workers, teachers and supporters picket at Mclay Street and Foothill Blvd in San Fernando, Calif., Thursday, March 23, 2023,
SEIU workers, teachers and supporters picket at Mclay Street and Foothill Blvd in San Fernando, Calif., Thursday, March 23, 2023, on the third day of a strike by SEIU and supported by UTLA for higher wages for Angeles Unified School District support staff. The 3-day strike left thousands of students out of class. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LOS ANGELES — A three-day strike by workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District ended Thursday, but it wasn’t immediately clear if any progress was made in negotiations for higher pay for teachers’ aides, bus drivers, custodians and other support staff in the nation’s second-largest school system.

Teachers joined the picket lines in solidarity, shutting down instruction for the district’s half-million students during the walkout by members of Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 30,000 of the lowest-paid school workers. Support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 a year in Los Angeles, barely enough to get by in one of the most expensive cities in America.

The Union is Accused of Refusing to Negotiate, Mayor Karen Bass Mediates

Mayor Karen Bass stepped in as mediator Wednesday after district Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho accused the union of refusing to negotiate.

Max Arias, executive director of SEIU Local 99, said the union was grateful that Bass was helping “find a path out of our current impasse.” There was no indication Thursday how the arbitration was going.

“Education workers have always been eager to negotiate as long as we are treated with respect and bargained with fairly, and with the mayor’s leadership we believe that is possible,” Arias said.

Carvalho has called the school district’s offer “historic.” It includes a cumulative 23% raise, starting with 2% retroactive as of the 2020-21 school year and ending with 5% in 2024-25. The package would also give a one-time 3% bonus to those who have been on the job more than a year. It would also add more full-time positions and expand health care benefits.

Sofia Munoz, a special education teacher’s assistant, said she hoped the labor action sent a message to Carvalho.

“We’re hoping just to bring awareness and let the superintendent know that we’re here to make a difference,” Munoz said Thursday at a rally marking the strike’s final day.

School District in Talks with Union Leaders with Mayor’s Help

The school district confirmed in a statement Wednesday that school officials have been in talks with union leaders with help from the mayor.

“We continue to do everything possible to reach an agreement that honors the hard work of our employees, corrects historical inequities, maintains the financial stability of the district and brings students back to the classroom,” the statement said.

The union said employees, including special education assistants, cafeteria workers and gardeners, would return to work on Friday.

The strike concluded after putting a spotlight on the issue of notoriously underpaid workers who serve as the backbone of schools across the country.

SEIU Local 99 says many of its members live in poverty because of low pay or limited work hours while struggling with inflation and the high cost of housing. The union is seeking a 30% raise for workers.

While the Los Angeles Unified School District is unique because of its size, the walkout could have lessons for other systems in the state, said Troy Flint, spokesperson for the California School Board Association.

“LAUSD could be the canary in the coalmine when you look at the potential for difficult labor negotiations in school districts across California,” he said.

“We’re Doing This for Our Kids” Teacher’s Aide Says Regarding Strike

Districts are coping with staff shortages and other challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, while working to address other longstanding issues including student performance that predated the pandemic, according to Flint. In addition, emergency pandemic funding from the state was set to expire next year, which will stretch district finances even thinner after decades of underfunding, he said.

“It’s natural that employees want to better compensated for their important work,” Flint said. “There is a lot of tension between what districts want to do and what they have the capacity to do.”

Leaders of United Teachers of Los Angeles, which represents 35,000 educators, counselors and other staff, pledged solidarity with the strikers.

Experts say it is unusual for different unions in the same school district to band together but the unified labor action in Los Angeles could mark an inflection point.

Luz Varela, a teacher’s aide, said workers felt like they had to strike.

“I feel sad that we have to go through this because we’re missing our kids, but we’re doing this for our kids,” she said. “I feel that we deserve a little bit more. It’s not all about the money. This is about our future for our kids.”

DON'T MISS

3 Valley Schools Honored by State as Model Community Day Schools

DON'T MISS

Will FUSD Trustees Look First Only at Internal Candidates in Superintendent Search?

DON'T MISS

Getting Paid to Go to School? California’s Community Colleges Try It Out

DON'T MISS

Clovis Medical School Students Celebrate First-Ever ‘Match Day’ for Residency Programs

DON'T MISS

English Learner Advocates in California Oppose ‘Science of Reading’ Bill

DON'T MISS

Upcoming Netflix Documentary Series Features Fresno State Profs

DON'T MISS

CA Bill Would Ban Flamin’ Hot Cheetos & Other Snacks in Public Schools

DON'T MISS

CA Kids Need to Read Better. A New Fresno State Program Is Helping Their Teachers.

DON'T MISS

Will Fresno Unified Cut Instruction Hours at Some Schools to Balance Budget?

DON'T MISS

Liberty University Will Pay $14 Million, the Largest Fine Ever Levied Under the Federal Clery Act

No data was found

The 49ers Have Been Docked a 2025 Fifth-Round Draft Pick for an Accounting Error

12 hours ago

Fresno Bank Sued. It Allegedly Helped Bitwise Commit Fraud.

Bitwise /

12 hours ago

How California’s Prized Solution for Methane Gas Is Backfiring on Farmers

Environment /

15 hours ago

Supreme Court Seems Favorable to Biden Administration Over Efforts to Combat Social Media Posts

15 hours ago

Putin Extends Rule in Preordained Russian Election After Harshest Crackdown Since Soviet Era

16 hours ago

Ohtani to Begin Throwing Program Soon. Roberts Hints Dodgers Star Might Play in the Field

16 hours ago

Trump: Some Migrants Are ‘Not People’, There’ll Be a ‘Bloodbath’ if I Lose

16 hours ago

Tech Lawyer and Philanthropist Nicole Shanahan Rumored as RFK Jr.’s VP Pick

News /

16 hours ago

March Madness is Here. UConn, Purdue, Houston and North Carolina Get Top Seeding in NCAA Tournament

17 hours ago

Crafts Retailer Joann Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy as Consumers Cut Back on Pandemic-Era Hobbies

17 hours ago

Records Show That Valley Children’s Leader Suntrapak’s Pay Exceeds $5 Million

■Valley Children’s paid CEO Todd Suntrapak $5.2 million in 2021. The hospital also gave him a $5 million forgivable home loan. ■The Va...
Healthcare /

11 hours ago

Healthcare /
11 hours ago

Records Show That Valley Children’s Leader Suntrapak’s Pay Exceeds $5 Million

Local Education /
11 hours ago

3 Valley Schools Honored by State as Model Community Day Schools

Local Education /
12 hours ago

Will FUSD Trustees Look First Only at Internal Candidates in Superintendent Search?

12 hours ago

The 49ers Have Been Docked a 2025 Fifth-Round Draft Pick for an Accounting Error

Bitwise /
12 hours ago

Fresno Bank Sued. It Allegedly Helped Bitwise Commit Fraud.

Environment /
15 hours ago

How California’s Prized Solution for Methane Gas Is Backfiring on Farmers

15 hours ago

Supreme Court Seems Favorable to Biden Administration Over Efforts to Combat Social Media Posts

16 hours ago

Putin Extends Rule in Preordained Russian Election After Harshest Crackdown Since Soviet Era

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend