LAUSD strike narrowly avoided

Just hours before the school bell rang on Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced in that they reached an agreement with Service Employees International Union, Local 99 (SEIU Local 99). The agreement avoided a major walkout by over 70,000 school district employees and averted school closures for nearly 400,000 students and their families.

United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) and SEIU Local 99 were the last of eight total unions to bargain contracts with the district this week. The decision was announced in press statement on the LAUSD’s website.

Their proposals called for salary increases, reduced student caseloads and more stable work schedules for hourly employees.

UTLA, which represents educators within LAUSD and AALA, reached agreements on Sunday but remained prepared to strike if the district did not reach an agreement with Local 99.

“Because of your unity and readiness to take action, we secured major wins for our members,” outlined Local 99 in a statement published on its website at about 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday. “This is what our collective power made possible.”

The union is made up of workers like bus drivers, custodians, and cafeteria workers who have secured more than 15 new terms, according to SEIU Local 99.

Some new changes include a 24% wage increase, protection against subcontracting to outside vendors, rescinding layoffs of hundreds of IT technicians, and increased work hours to ensure health care benefits for thousands of employees and their families.

The successful agreement among all three unions is mostly attributable to a pact they reached together, according to AALA President, Maria Nichols. She has been in the education system for over four decades and understands the need to foster dialogue among the separate unions.

UTLA, SEIU, and AALA originally began negotiating for health care benefits separately in January. Eventually they agreed to form a coalition, which, Nichols said, grew their negotiation power.

“If one or two of us settled, we were in it for everybody,” Nichols said.

Nichols believes that this coalition was the power behind the unions getting exactly what they bargained for in the time that they needed. She said that the AALA would make a big impact on the situation because they “hold the keys to open the schools.”

Over the weekend, the AALA and ULTA both reached tentative agreements, as well marking a big win for the school system. In a press statement released by UTLA, the terms of these agreements include a 13.86% increase in salary, more work opportunities, paid parental leave for the first time, better healthcare support and more.

Many union members are hoping this is the start of what can be a long road of wins for the teachers, administrators, workers and students in L.A., said Georgia Flowers Lee in an interview with Annenberg media. Flowers serves as Vice President of UTLA NEA.

“Schools in Los Angeles have been disinvested in for decades, and that is not okay. Our students deserve schools that meet their needs and allow them to thrive,” she said.

Monica Caballero is a restorative justice adviser at UTLA and special education teacher at Dodson Middle School in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Although the labor negotiations are a big win for the unions, she said she feels that there is seemingly some remaining frustration among workers over how long it took to reach the agreement, which comes after months of organizing and bargaining.

The ULTA, Monica explained, represents over 70 job categories. With the new agreement, she said she feels frustration will turn to hope as “future educators are enticed to join our ranks.”

Blanca Gallegos, a Local 99 representative said that during contract negotiations, LAUSD tried to intimidate workers and retaliate against their activism. Among tactics used, Gallegos said that the organization cut workers’ hours and announced layoffs.

“This is against the law and workers filed charges,” she said.

Despite this, Gallegos said that the ordeal has strengthened her belief in the importance of workers’ unions. She emphasizes that the best way for workers to form their union is to know their rights, organize their co-workers and reach out to their communities and elected leaders for support.

“There really is power in unity,” Gallegos said.