LA School Strikes

More than 30,000 Los Angeles school employees and teachers began a three-day strike yesterday, forcing nearly half a million students to stay home in the nation’s second-largest school district. At the center of the negotiations between Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union and the Los Angeles Unified School District is pay. Union officials seek a 30% raise and a $2 per hour wage increase. Other union demands include more full-time work, equal access to healthcare, and increased staffing levels. The district has offered a 23% pay increase over a five-year period with a 3% cash bonus, a $20 per hour minimum wage, and full healthcare benefits for those working at least four hours per day. The average salary of support staff workers is $25K a year, and most work part-time. Roughly 60% of the students in the school district are considered economically disadvantaged. During the strike, the district opened 24 grab-and-go food sites and student supervision at many schools. The district was last affected by a six-day strike in 2019.