The Los Angeles Unified School district is scrambling on Monday, March 20, to reach a last-minute labor contract agreement with mere hours left until thousands of workers begin a three-day strike on Tuesday.
The anticipated strike will be led by SEIU Local 99, the service worker union representing around 30,000 bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians and special education assistants. Members of the teachers union United Teachers Los Angeles plan on walking out in solidarity.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The combined impact of such an action leaves the district with little choice but to shut down schools, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has said — an outcome he is desperately trying to avoid. The district plans on sending home educational packets and setting up safe supervision sites for students, but both are poor replacements for classroom tuition.
“With hours to go I continue to appeal to union leadership to return to negotiations,” he said in a Monday morning statement. “We can find a solution that dignifies our workforce and avoids an unnecessary shutdown of schools, while protecting the long-term viability of the school system.”
SEIU Local 99 members, on the other hand, appear determined to push ahead with the strike as planned.
“I’m going on strike to show LAUSD that I refuse to be intimidated by the district’s unfair bargaining tactics,” said special education assistant Yolanda Reed, in a Monday morning statement. “Whether we keep schools clean and safe, make sure students don’t go hungry, or support classroom instruction, every school worker deserves respect.”
The average average salary of SEIU Local 99 members is $25,000. Many work part-time and struggle to make ends meet, union officials say. They are calling for better pay, more reliable hours and a crackdown against what the union describes as bullying and harassment of staff.
On Monday morning, labor leaders also expressed frustration with the district’s attempt to have the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) rule the strike illegal.
“30,000 workers standing together can’t be intimidated, bullied, or underestimated,” said Max Arias, executive director of SEIU Local 99. “Despite LAUSD’s misleading statements in the media and threats against workers who are exercising their right to take action, our movement is only growing stronger.”
The district tried to halt the strike by filing a request for injunctive relief with PERB, which was denied on Sunday. However, the district’s underlying allegation that the union is engaging in an unlawful strike remains under review and a ruling could be made by the Office of General Counsel by Monday evening.
A PERB ruling in the district’s favor or a contract agreement with SEIU Local 99 are the two ways the strike could be averted.
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If neither comes to fruition today, the strike is set to begin with a 4:30 a.m. picket line at the Van Nuys Bus Yard on Tuesday, followed by a 7 a.m. press conference at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools and a 1 p.m. rally outside of LAUSD headquarters.
Further pickets, press conferences and rallies are planned for Wednesday and Thursday.
During this time, the District will offer student supervision and food giveaways at select campuses and locations across the district.
The LA County Parks and Recreation Department will also help care for students by offering breakfast, lunch and activities at 16 sites from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the strike.
More information on all available student supervision sites can be found at https://achieve.lausd.net/schoolupdates/supervision.
Meanwhile, the L.A. Zoo announced it will offer free admission to Los Angeles Unified School District students in grades K-12 in the event schools close down