On Tuesday, SEIU Local 99 and the 30,000 workers who provide support to Los Angeles public schools announced a three-day strike after negotiations with Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho fell through. Local 99 has received encouragement from United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) — which initiated a similar strike for six days in 2019. A 2022 survey by UTLA found that 70% of teachers are “seriously considering leaving the profession altogether” and more than a quarter were working a second job.
The union has also claimed in a statement that LAUSD has “subjected [SEIU] workers to surveillance, intimidation and harassment” throughout the initial bargaining process.
Local 99, which represents bus drivers, special education aids, custodians and cafeteria staff is demanding a 30 percent raise. The mean salary for an SEIU worker in Los Angeles public schools is around $25,000. Such wages, which range from around $16.91 to $23.85 an hour, fall below the necessary income for a family of three living in Los Angeles county.
And according to Jacobin writer Annie Jones, “Twenty-four percent of SEIU 99 members have reported not having enough to eat and one in three have been homeless or at high risk of becoming homeless while working for LAUSD.”
Union representatives are also asking for health benefits for part-time employees.
It’s not that the LAUSD is strapped for cash: The district is currently sitting on almost $5 billion in surplus funding.
On Wednesday, Local 99 announced they would renew negotiations in partnership with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to “find a path past our impasse with LAUSD.”