By Christopher Weber -
The Associated Press
Tens of thousands of employees of the Los Angeles School District (LAUSD, in English) began a three-day strike on Tuesday due to the stagnation of negotiations to improve their salary and conditions, to which teachers will join in solidarity and that will close the second largest school system in the country.
Demonstrations are expected at schools across the city by members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents some 30,000 teacher aides, special education aides, bus drivers, janitors, cafeteria workers and other staff.
Protesters joined the pre-dawn picket lines to apply pressure early in the day to demand better wages and more staffing.
The district has more than 500,000 students in Los Angeles and 25 other cities and unincorporated areas of the county.
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The superintendent, Alberto M. Carvalho, accused the union of refusing to bargain and insisted that he is willing to meet at any hour of the day or night.
In his opinion, a "golden opportunity" to progress was missed on Monday.
“I think this strike could have been prevented.
But it can't be helped if people don't talk to each other,” she noted.
The union replied late Monday that it was in talks with state labor regulators over allegations the district misconduct allegedly barred workers from participating in protected union activities.
“We want to make it clear that we are not in negotiations with LAUSD,” the union said in a statement, “we continue to participate in the impasse
process
with the state.”
The talks will not suspend the strike, he clarified in the note.
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Officials estimate that about 150 of the district's more than 1,000 schools will remain open with adult supervision but no classes, to give students a space to go.
Dozens of libraries and parks, in addition to some places for students to have lunch, are also planning to open their doors for families to have a place to leave their children.
“Schools are so much more than educational centers – they are a safety net for hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles families,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Monday.
“We will make sure we do everything we can to provide the resources that families in our city need,” she promised.
The workers, meanwhile, reiterated that going on strike is the only option left to them.
Instructional assistant Marlee Ostrow, who seconded the strike, said she is long overdue for a raise.
The 67-year-old woman was hired nearly two decades ago for $11.75 an hour, and today she makes about $16. It's not enough to withstand high inflation and rising home prices, she said, plus her responsibility is greater. because it has gone from two classrooms to five.
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Ostrow blames low salaries paid by the district for the vacancies that have accumulated in recent years.
"No one even shows up because you can make more money starting at [a fast food restaurant] Burger King," he criticized.
“A lot of people really want to help kids, and they shouldn't be penalized for wanting to make that their life's work,” he argued.
The union says district support employees earn, on average, about $25,000 a year.
and that many live in poverty because wages are low and the hours they are offered to work are few.
The union asks for a 30% increase, while the teachers demand a 20% increase in two years.
Carvalho maintains that the district offers a salary increase totaling more than 20% over a period of several years, along with a 3% bonus.
The deal would include a "massive expansion of healthcare benefits," Fox News reported.
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SEIU members have been working without a contract since June 2020, while the teachers' contract expired in June 2022. The unions decided last week to stop accepting contract extensions.
The United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) union, which brings together 35,000 teachers, counselors and other staff, expressed its solidarity and will also join the strike.
"Educators will join our brothers in the union on the picket lines," said the union group in a message on the social network Twitter.
The teachers' collective went on a six-day strike in 2019 over pay issues, but schools remained open.