A three-day strike at the nation’s second-largest public school system—the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)—started March 21 after last-minute negotiations failed. We’ve gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other media outlets.
Almost Half a Million Students Affected
More than 420,000 students are affected by the strikes. Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents about 30,000 LAUSD school cafeteria workers, bus drivers, special education assistants and gardeners, said the employees walked off the job to protest allegedly unfair bargaining tactics. The workers are seeking a 30 percent raise. The United Teachers Los Angeles union, which represents another approximately 35,000 employees, will not cross the picket lines.
(The New York Times and CNN)
Resources for Parents and Students
Multiple webinars were held 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
Free student supervision will be provided at select elementary, middle and high schools from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT on March 21-23.
Union and School District Statements Leading Up to 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, executive director of SEIU Local 99, on March 19. He said workers “will continue to move forward with plans to strike this week. Their voices will not be silenced.”
However, the LAUSD issued a statement denying that PERB had decided on the unfair practice charges. The district said it expected a decision the morning of March 20 from the PERB Office of the 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 increase effective this July, along with a 4 percent bonus this school year and a 5 percent bonus in 2023-24. The district has also indicated a willingness to offer more.
Strikes Were Up Sharply in 2022
Strikes took place 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.
