Thousands of Los Angeles public school workers are poised to go on a three-day strike next week amid stalled union negotiations.
SEIU Local 99 — which represents roughly 30,000 cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, particular training assistants and different workers within the Los Angeles Unified School District — introduced on Wednesday it’s going to lead a three-day strike from March 21 thru March 23 to “protest the school district’s unfair practices.”
United Teachers of Los Angeles and SEIU 99 individuals hang a joint rally at Grand Park in entrance of City Hall in a display of cohesion, Mar. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles.
Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times by means of Getty Imag
United Teachers Los Angeles, which represents greater than 30,000 academics at LAUSD, has additionally introduced it’s going to honor the strike and now not pass the wooden traces — which might imply no lecture room instruction, school officers stated.
Workers had been in contract negotiations with LAUSD for just about a yr, in accordance to SEIU Local 99, which has been looking for salary will increase, larger staffing for scholar products and services and extra full-time paintings. Last month, 96% of its individuals voted to authorize a strike over the district’s alleged harassment and threats towards the ones attractive in union actions, it stated.
“As LAUSD parents and workers, SEIU Local 99 members know a strike will be a sacrifice but the school district has pushed workers to take this action,” Max Arias, SEIU Local 99’s govt director, stated in a statement. “Families have been sacrificing for far too long on poverty wages. Students have been sacrificing for too long in school environments that are not clean, safe or supportive for all. Too many workers have been subjected to harassment simply for demanding change.”
The reasonable annually wage of LAUSD school workers is $25,000, with maximum operating part-time hours, “making it difficult to retain and recruit sufficient staff for student services,” in accordance to the union.
United Teachers of Los Angeles and SEIU 99 individuals hang a joint rally at Grand Park in a display of cohesion, Mar. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles.
Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times by means of Getty Images
The district — the second-largest within the nation — said it has presented the union a 5% salary build up and four% one-time bonus for the present school yr, in addition to a 5% salary build up and a 5% one-time bonus for 2023-2024, for all bargaining unit individuals, in addition to pay will increase for some workers. The district stated it has additionally “proposed class size reductions in all schools with further reductions and increased staffing in our highest needs schools.”
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho charged in a statement Wednesday that the union is “simply refusing to negotiate.”
“With a historic offer on the table that was created in direct response to SEIU’s demands, and with additional resources still to be negotiated, it is deeply surprising and disappointing that there is an unwillingness to do so,” Carvalho stated in a commentary.
Carvalho additionally apologized to households and scholars and stated they’re “doing everything possible to avoid a strike.”
The next negotiation consultation is Friday, the district stated.
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