A three-day strike at the nation’s second largest school system—Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)—could start March 21 if attempts to avert it fail. We’ve gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other media outlets.
Almost Half a Million Students Could Be Affected
More than 420,000 students could be affected if the district strikes. Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)—which represents about 30,000 L.A. school cafeteria workers, bus drivers, special education assistants and gardeners—announced that the employees would walk off the job to protest allegedly unfair bargaining tactics. The workers are seeking a 30 percent raise. The teachers’ union, which represents another approximately 35,000 employees, would not cross the picket lines.
Resources for Parents and Students
Multiple webinars were slated on March 20 by school district officials to inform parents and students about what they needed to know ahead of potential school closures.
Free Student Supervision
If there is a strike, free student supervision will be provided at select elementary, middle and high schools from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT from March 21-23.
Union and School District on Possibility of Strike
“The California Public Employment Relations Board [PERB] has rejected the LAUSD’s last-ditch effort and meritless effort to request an injunction,” said Max Arias, the executive director of Local 99 of the SEIU on March 19. He said that workers “will continue to move forward with plans to strike this week. Their voices will not be silenced.”
However, the school district issued a statement denying that PERB had decided on the unfair practice charges. The school district said it expected a decision on the morning of March 20 from the PERB office of general counsel. The LAUSD has offered a 5 percent wage boost retroactive to July 2021, another 5 percent hike retroactive to July 2022 and an additional 5 percent spike effective July, along with a 4 percent bonus this school year and a 5 percent bonus in 2023-24. The district has indicated a willingness to offer more.
Strikes Were Up Sharply in 2022
Strikes occurred much more frequently last year than in 2021, according to the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR). There were 417 strikes and seven lockouts in 2022, up from 279 the previous year, the ILR found.
