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Tens of thousands of workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District on Tuesday will begin a three-day strike that is expected to shut down schools in the country's second-largest district.
The strike announced by the Service Employees International Union – which represents about 30,000 teachers' aides, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and other support staff – was joined by United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing 35,000 teachers, counselors and other staff. LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho had warned that, unlike a six-day strike in 2019 over pay and contracts, schools will likely close this time.
“Tomorrow will be a difficult day. We’re not arriving at tomorrow, the first day of the strike, without exhausting all invitations to our partners to meet with us, to negotiate with us," Carvalho said during a press conference Monday evening, in which he confirmed that talks with the union had broken down and that the strike would not be averted.
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Carvalho also indicated there would be no access to remote learning options. The district announced several resources would be available to families, including limited child supervision, extended parks program hours, information sessions and grab-and-go meal sites.
After a weekend of back-and-forth jabs, all signs Monday pointed to the likelihood of a strike. The superintendent pleaded with Service Employees International Union Local 99 to return to the bargaining table.
"We should not be depriving our students of an opportunity to learn," Carvalho said in a statement Monday morning. "With hours to go, I continue to appeal to union leadership to return to negotiations. We can find a solution that dignifies our workforce and avoids an unnecessary shutdown of schools while protecting the long term viability of the school system."
Monday afternoon, SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said in a press release that the union had entered into a confidential mediation process with the LAUSD to “try and address our differences.” However, he said the LAUSD broke confidentiality by announcing the mediation process to the press before the union’s bargaining team had a chance to discuss how to proceed.
“This is yet another example of the school district’s continued disrespect of school workers. We are ready to strike,” Arias said.
In a separate statement, he accused the LAUSD of issuing “misleading statements” and threatening workers exercising their right “to take action.” He added that teachers, students and parents in the district were “standing with school workers and their right to take action -- free from fear -- to bargain for better wages and increased staffing in our schools."
Board of Education member Jackie Goldberg said she was the one who spoke publicly about the mediation process. However, she said she did it as a "congratulatory" gesture intended to show the SEIU and UTLA's willingness to reach a deal and avoid a strike.
"If I had any idea that it would bother them, of course I would not have said anything. But that has not been my experience in the past."
She added that, "We weren't trying to blow this thing."
The union plans to begin picketing at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday at a bus yard in Van Nuys. Union leaders scheduled a news conference for 7 a.m. Wednesday at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools followed by a 1 p.m. rally at LAUSD headquarters.
The SEIU said district support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 per year and many live in poverty because of low pay or limited work hours while struggling with inflation and the high cost of housing in Los Angeles County. The union is asking for a 30% raise. Teachers want a 20% pay hike over two years.
Carvalho said the district offered a "historic" wage increase which amounted to a 23% raise, as well as a 3% bonus.
The district has more than 500,000 students. It serves Los Angeles and all or part of 25 other cities and unincorporated county areas.
The district has set up child supervision and food distribution sites while the strike is taking place. Deputy Superintendent Pedro Salcido said the district currently has the ability to supervise some 12,000 students, though it is working with the county to increase that capacity.
SEIU members have been working without a contract since June 2020 and the contract for teachers expired in June 2022. The unions decided last week to stop accepting extensions to their contracts.
"We will get through this, and at some point we will agree to a contract, but not without a necessary dialogue," Carvalho said. "Negotiations are not based on fixed positions. We have been at a fixed position for a long time. We want to land a historic contract that honors the work of our workforce, but one that also understands the needs of our kids.”
