LAUSD strike: Mayor Bass leaps into fray, but still no deal as Day 3 begins
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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. 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.
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.
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. County parks and libraries were also offering activities and food.
“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. “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.”
The district also released a statement saying that Mayor Bass had entered talks and expressing hope that an agreement could be brokered.
“We continue to do everything possible to reach an agreement that honors the hard work of our employees, corrects historic inequities maintains the financial stability of the district and brings students back to the classroom,” stated the district on Wednesday. “We are hopeful these talks continue and look forward to updating our school community on a resolution.”
Related: LA Mayor Bass’ first 100 days: As promised, homeless crisis front and center
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.
On Tuesday, SEIU began a three-day strike demanding higher pay, more reliable hours and a crackdown against workplace harassment. That day was filled with rallies, chants and protest signs, but no real sign of negotiating progress on a new labor contract.
Day 2 of of the strike began at 4:30 a.m. 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.
By 7 a.m. a crowd of striking workers a hundred strong formed for a press conference at Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley. At 11 a.m. a crowd a thousand strong rallied at LAUSD’s Local District East office in Lincoln Heights.
Related: Here’s where families can get help during LAUSD strike
Energized by the sounds of drums, chants and honking cars, picketers started the second day of the strike with renewed determination.
“I feel a lack of respect,” said Jennifer Torres, a special education assistant, who picketed at Wednesday’s news conference. “I want the school district to understand we’re not just bodies in the classroom.”
Intervals of heavy rain and intense winds were again forecast for Wednesday as the latest storm system to soak Southern California during this particularly wet winter hovered over the region for a second day. But this steady downpour has done little to wear down their persistence yesterday or today.
The strike is the first major labor disruption for the district since members of the teachers’ union, United Teachers Los Angeles, went on strike for six days in 2019. This time around the demands of SEIU are at the forefront of the strike with UTLA workers walking off the job in solidarity.
“SEIU is my family,” said UTLA member Scott Mandel, who teaches at Pacoima Middle School. “What we’re doing is a righteous strike to support the people who are taken advantage of more than anyone else in this district.”
At Broad Avenue Elementary School in Wilmington, Jenny Mendoza-Ini and her daughter, Iliyhia, came to show their support for teachers and staff protesting in front of the school on Wednesday.
“I like to support because it’s obviously a very difficult job,” Mendoza-Ini said in Spanish. “I would like for them to have better benefits and better pay for the good of my daughter and the other students.”
Mendoza-Ini said she would be worried if the LAUSD strike went on for longer but understands its importance. She and her brother are sharing childcare duties. If the strike is extended she’ll likely bring her students to the supervision site at Broad Avenue Elementary.
“I just hope that the issues are resolved soon, mostly for the benefit of all the kids because it is difficult that kids aren’t going to school,” she said, adding that she wants students back in school “first for their education and second for their parents that work and don’t have a lot of help.”
Throughout the strike, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has pleaded with labor leaders to return to the bargaining table.
“I understand our employees’ frustration that has been brewing, not just for a couple of years but for a couple of decades,” Carvalho said in a Tuesday statement. “And it is on the basis of recognizing historic inequities that we have put on the table a historic proposal. This offer addresses the needs and concerns from the union, while also remaining fiscally responsible and keeping the district in a financially stable position.”
According to the district, LAUSD last week made an offer that 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.
On Monday, Carvalho said the district sweetened the offer to an overall 23% salary increase, along with a 3% “cash-in-hand bonus.”
The union, however, has been pushing for a 30% pay raise, with an additional boost for the lowest-paid workers. They are calling on Carvalho to dip into the district’s reserves to help fund this wage increase.
“We know the district has the money to end this strike now; the district will end the year with $5 billion in reserves,” said Hannah Day, a teacher at Elysian Heights Arts Magnet in Echo Park. “Carvalho wants to save that money for a rainy day. The rainy day is now. Workers need this money now.”
Currently, many SEIU members juggle two or three jobs to make ends meet, labor leaders said.
This was the case of LAUSD cafeteria worker Eva Armas who joined the picket line at Polytechnic High School on Wednesday morning.
Standing less than five feet tall and exhausted after more than three decades serving the district, Armas decided to quit her second job at a homeless shelter two years ago because of the strain on her body. But faced with the constant difficulty of paying her bills, Armas said she will have to go back if her pay does improve.
“Everything is so expensive,” she said through a translator. “The cost of living, the food. It’s too much.”
Picketing #SEIU workers and #LAUSD teachers @PolytechnicHigh in #LosAngeles Wednesday on day 2 of a 3-day strike. pic.twitter.com/8fjZbUAB0L
— David Crane (@vidcrane) March 22, 2023
Many parties — including parents, students and legislators — are urging the district to reach an agreement with the union and prevent further disruption to students’ learning.
On Wednesday representatives from the California State Assembly and California Legislative Black Caucus sent letters to the district collectively signed by 28 Assembly members.
“It is imperative that classified workers – a majority of whom are women of color – who have consistently demonstrated their commitment to the students and families of Los Angeles, make just and equitable wages,” stated members of the Black Caucus.
“While our entire society faced serious upheaval due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SEIU 99 members showed up for the students of LAUSD. We cannot forget that they put their lives on the line in service of our students, families, and communities,” added members of the state Assembly.
Also on Wednesday, a group of LAUSD students from the advocacy organization Students Deserve, held their own rally in support of striking workers outside of the district’s DTLA headquarters. This student group is closely aligned with UTLA and has previously collaborated on efforts to defund the school police and encourage investment in Black student achievement.
“We want you to know that UTLA and Local 99 are not the only ones dissatisfied. We, students, are dissatisfied as well,” said Students Deserve leader Jailynn Butler-Thomas in a letter to Carvalho and the School Board. “We stand in unity, solidarity, and in the pouring rain if we have to.”
The district on Friday announced the creation of a website at achieve.lausd.net/schoolupdates which will “provide resources for families during the work stoppage period” from Tuesday through Thursday. According to the district, the site has information on “learning activities, tutoring services, enrichment activities and cultural opportunities across Los Angeles and Los Angeles County park locations that will provide free youth programs.” The district also established a hotline at 213-443-1300, operating between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
City News Service contributed to this report