Los Angeles school district workers approve a labor agreement after a three-day strike

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LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Unified School District workers have approved a labor agreement following a three-day strike over wages and staffing that paralyzed student education in one of the nation's largest school systems.

The agreement, which was voted on this week, increases wages by 30% for workers who earn an average of $25,000 a year, the Local 99 chapter of the Service Employees International Union said Saturday.

It also includes a $1,000 bonus for employees who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic and expanded family health benefits.

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The contract still needs to be approved by the school district's Board of Education.

The school district said the board could vote on it at a meeting on April 18.

Thousands of workers, backed by teachers, went on strike last month and rallied outside the school district headquarters in downtown Los Angeles amid deadlocked contract negotiations.

The goal was to demand better wages and more staff for bus drivers, cafeteria workers, teacher aides, and other union-represented employees.

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass thanked the school district and the union for reaching an agreement in late March following the strike.

“We must continue to work together to address the high cost of living in our city, to increase opportunity, and to support increased funding for Los Angeles public schools, which are the single most determining factor in our city's future,” he said. the Democrat in a statement.

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The SEIU said many district support employees live in poverty due to low wages or limited work hours, while battling inflation and the high cost of housing in Los Angeles County.

The school district serves more than half a million students in the area, a number second only to the New York City public school system.

Union leaders address thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and members of Service Employees International Union 99 during a rally in Los Angeles, California, on March 21, 2023.Damian Dovarganes/AP

Max Arias, the union's executive director, called the agreement "a big step" in improving pay, hours and benefits for workers who "have been left behind for far too long."

“This contract recognizes the essential work of those who work hard to ensure that students can learn in a clean, safe and supportive environment,” Arias said in a statement.

At the time of the strike, Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho had accused the union of refusing to bargain.