LAUSD Strikers To End Walkout Today, Return To Work Friday

LOS ANGELES -- Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 99 are back on the picket lines today, the final day of a planned three-day strike, at the BD Bus Yard in Los Angeles. They will conclude their walkout today and return to work Friday, the union confirmed.

No contract settlement was announced, though talks are again taking place between the district and union, facilitated by Mayor Karen Bass.

According to a union statement Wednesday night, ``The strike will conclude Thursday after a boisterous rally at Los Angeles State Historic Park where thousands of workers will issue their strong, unified call for LAUSD to bargain fairly.''

``SEIU Local 99 school workers plan to return to schools Friday, March 24,'' the statement added.

The end of the three-day walkout will enable some 400,000 students to return to classes after missing three straight days.

Negotiations will continue, with Bass' office saying the mayor ``will continue to work privately with all parties to reach an agreement to reopen the schools and guarantee fair treatment of all LAUSD workers.''

No other specifics were offered. However, Max Arias, president of SEIU Local 99, issued a statement Wednesday supporting the mayor's involvement.

``We are grateful that the mayor has stepped in to provide leadership in an effort to find a path out of our current impasse,'' Arias said.

The roughly 30,000 workers represented by SEIU Local 99 walked off the job Tuesday amid stalled labor talks focused primarily on the union's demand for a 30% salary boost.

The workers -- including cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, special education assistants and others -- were joined in sympathy by about 30,000 members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union, which is engaged in labor talks of its own with the district, seeking a 20% pay hike for its members.

Thursday, pickets are planned at the BD Bus Yard, 774 E. 17th St. in downtown Los Angeles starting at 4:30 a.m. At 1 p.m., a rally is planned at Los Angeles State Historic Park,1245 N. Spring St., in Chinatown.

SEIU workers have been working without a contract since June 2020. The union declared an impasse in negotiations in December, leading to the appointment of a state mediator.

In addition to salary demands, union officials have also alleged staffing shortages caused by an ``over-reliance on a low-wage, part-time workforce.'' The union alleged shortages including:
-- insufficient teacher assistants, special education assistants and other instructional support to address learning loss and achievement gaps;
-- substandard cleaning and disinfecting at school campuses because of a lack of custodial staff;
-- jeopardized campus safety due to campus aides and playground supervisors being overburdened, and,
-- limited enrichment, after-school and parental engagement programs due to reduced work hours and lack of health care benefits for after-school workers and community representatives.

The strike is the first major labor disruption for the district since UTLA teachers went on strike for six days in 2019. That strike ended thanks in part to the involvement of then-Mayor Eric Garcetti.

-- City News Service