on Wednesday with protesters donning rainy day garb as they rallied amid showers at a school bus yard, this one on South Hoover Street in Gardena. That day was filled with rallies, chants and protest signs, but no real sign of negotiating progress on a new labor contract.ĭay 2 of of the strike began at 4:30 a.m. On Tuesday, SEIU began a three-day strike demanding higher pay, more reliable hours and a crackdown against workplace harassment. The district and SEIU Local 99 - the service worker union representing 30,000 bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, instructional aides and special education assistants - have been in contract negotiations for a year without reaching a resolution. The district also released a statement saying that Mayor Bass had entered talks and expressing hope that an agreement could be brokered. “Education workers have always been eager to negotiate as long as we are treated with respect and bargained with fairly, and with the Mayor’s leadership we believe that is possible.” FILE: Los Angeles Mayor Mayor Karen Bass speaks on Thursday, March 9, 2023. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) “We are grateful that the Mayor has stepped in to provide leadership in an effort to find a path out of our current impasse,” said SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias, in a statement on Wednesday. County parks and libraries were also offering activities and food. It appears schools will remain shut for around 420,000 students on Thursday, with the district continuing to offer over 150 student supervision and food distribution sites in partnership with the city. Labor leaders announced that the three-day strike would conclude on Thursday with more picketing at schools and a “boisterous” rally at Los Angeles State Historic Park. But as the sun set on Day 2 of the mammoth strike that shut down the nation’s second-largest school system, there were no signs of a deal on Wednesday, March 22.

Limited enrichment, after school and parental engagement programs due to reduced work hours and lack of health care benefits for after school workers and community representatives.News that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was stepping into negotiations between the Los Angeles Unified School District and labor leaders gave fresh hope that an agreement could be on the horizon.

Jeopardized campus safety due to campus aides and playground supervisors being overburdened and.Substandard cleaning and disinfecting at school campuses because of a lack of custodial staff,.Insufficient teacher assistants, special education assistants and other instructional support to address learning loss and achievement gaps,.In addition to salary demands, union officials have also alleged staffing shortages caused by an 'over-reliance on a low-wage, part-time workforce.' The union alleged shortages including: The union declared an impasse in negotiations in December, leading to the appointment of a state mediator. Union officials have said the affected workers earn an average salary of $25,000 a year and have been working without a contract since June 2020. We need to be united in our efforts to provide every child with access to a high-quality public education that will prepare them for success in school and life.' 'Our general fund is not a flexible budget reserve - the district cannot go bankrupt. 'Ultimately, we must do what is in the best interest of our students as well as our workforce, which includes exercising fiscal responsibility,' according to a district statement. 'This action takes them one step closer to a strike, which would cause a significant disruption to instruction, and would adversely impact our entire system,' according to the district.ĭistrict officials said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho made the union 'one of the strongest offers ever proposed by a Los Angeles Unified superintendent.' According to the district, the offer included a 5% wage increase retroactive to July 2021, another 5% increase retroactive to July 2022 and another 5% increase effective July 2023, along with a 4% bonus in 2022-23 and a 5% bonus in 2023-24.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: LAUSD custodians, other essential workers authorize strike if negotiations failĭistrict officials issued a statement Wednesday saying they were 'disappointed that SEIU is walking away from negotiations with so much on the table.'

Lausd strike update 2018