By Christopher Weber —
The Associated Press
The three-day strike by Los Angeles Unified School District workers ended Thursday, but it was unclear if any progress had been made in negotiations to raise the salaries of teacher aides, bus drivers, janitors and other support staff in the second largest school system in the country.
Teachers joined the picket line in solidarity, disrupting education for the district's half-million students during the walkout by members of Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents some 30,000 of the lowest-paid school workers.
Support staff earn, on average, about
$25,000 a year
in Los Angeles, barely enough to get by in one of the most expensive cities in the United States.
Mayor Karen Bass stepped in as a mediator Wednesday after district superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho accused the union of refusing to bargain.
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Max Arias, executive director of SEIU Local 99, said the union was grateful that Bass was helping "find a way out of our current impasse."
There was no indication Thursday of how the arbitration was going.
“Education workers have always been willing to negotiate as long as we are treated with respect and negotiated fairly, and with the mayor's leadership we believe that is possible,” added Arias.
Carvalho has called the school district's offer
"historic
. "
Includes a
23% cumulative increase
, starting at 2% retroactive to the 2020-21 academic year and ending at 5% in 2024-25.
The package would also give a one-time 3% bonus to those who have been on the job for more than a year.
It would also add more full-time positions and expand healthcare benefits.
Los Angeles Unified School District workers strike for a new contract on March 23, 2023. Mario Tama / Getty Images
Sofía Munoz, a special education teacher's assistant, said she hoped the labor action would send a message to Carvalho.
“We hope
to raise awareness
and let the superintendent know that we are here to make a difference,” Muñoz said Thursday at a demonstration marking the last day of the strike.
The school district confirmed in a statement Wednesday that school officials have been in talks with union leaders with the help of the mayor.
“We continue to do everything we can to reach an agreement that honors the hard work of our employees,
corrects historical inequities, maintains the financial stability of the district, and puts students back in the classroom,” the statement said.
The union said employees, including special education aides, cafeteria workers and gardeners, would return to work Friday.
The strike ended after highlighting the problem of the notoriously low-paid workers who make up the backbone of schools across the country.
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SEIU Local 99 union says many of its members live in poverty due to low wages or limited work hours, while battling inflation and high housing costs.
The union seeks a 30% raise for workers.
Although the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is unique because of its size, the walkout could have lessons for other systems in the state, said Troy Flint, spokesman for the California Association of School Boards.
“LAUSD could be the canary in the coal mine when looking at the prospect of difficult labor negotiations in California school districts,” he said.
Districts are dealing with staff shortages and other challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, while working to address other longstanding issues, including student achievement that predated the pandemic, according to Flint.
In addition, state emergency funding for the pandemic will expire next year, further straining the district's finances after decades of underfunding, she said.
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“It's natural for employees to want better compensation for their important work
,” Flint said.
“There is a lot of tension between what the districts want to do and what they have the capacity to do.”
Leaders of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, which represents 35,000 educators, counselors and other staff members, pledged solidarity with the strikers.
Experts say it's rare for different unions from the same school district to unite, but the unified labor action in Los Angeles could mark a turning point.
Luz Varela, a teacher's assistant, said the workers felt they had to go on strike.
“It saddens me that we have to go through this because we miss our children, but we do it for them
,” she said.
“I think we deserve a little more.
It's not just about money.
It is about the future of our children, ”she said.