THE strike on April 14 is CONTINUES as schools and childcare facilities are closed

As the hours ticked into Monday, it was unclear whether the Los Angeles Unified School District would be shut down Tuesday by the powerful union triumvirate — even though two of the three unions announced a layoff on Sunday.

Protracted negotiations mean 390,000 students’ families still have to scramble to make emergency plans for their children on Tuesday – while around 70,000 staff, including teachers and principals, do not know whether they will be at work or on the pick-up line.

The participating union, Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, is scheduled to resume arbitration Monday afternoon. All three unions have pledged to leave if any of the three do not reach an agreement.

The negotiators were resting on Monday morning after Sunday’s mediation session which started around 10 am and lasted until 9:30 pm.

Both sides will also use the morning to assess the status of negotiations and where they want to continue in negotiations to end the conflict or gain in the end.

Local 99 represents approximately 30,000 teachers, campus assistants, farmers, custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and technology support workers.

The Board of Education begins a closed session at 10 a.m. at the district headquarters, west of downtown. Top of the agenda is “Conference with Labor Negotiators.” All regional unions are on the list because the board must discuss the possible actions of its few unions that are not on strike on Tuesday: Will they respect the picket lines? Will its members be available to do emergency work on campuses or provide support to families? Those unions represent school police, school staff and cafeteria managers, among others.

The two unions with tentative agreements announced Sunday are United Teachers Los Angeles and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles/Teamsters 2010.

UTLA represents approximately 37,000 teachers, nurses, counselors, psychologists and librarians.

AALA represents approximately 3,000 principals and assistant principals – all with teaching degrees. A separate unit represents middle managers who do not have teaching certificates.

Max Arias, executive director of Local 99, said Sunday that union unity remains strong as negotiations continue.

“We remain open to a mediation process with the school district,” Arias said. “As we work together every day in our classrooms and campuses, we are proud to have teachers and principals fighting for our schools, students and communities.”

He added: “LAUSD can stop the strike by ending the harassment and retaliation against SEIU Local 99 employees and introduce proposals that ensure equality and fairness for everyone who contributes to student learning.”

His final point is about the reason for the walkout, which is described as an unjustified strike due to alleged violations of union members’ legally protected organizing rights. Such walkouts usually have a start and end date, but the Local 99 strike will be closed — meaning the school will be closed permanently for the three-union walkout.

The district denies any violation of labor laws, and both parties have filed allegations with another state labor regulatory body. Such alleged violations are almost always dismissed as part of the settlement.

For workers, the strike could be especially difficult for members of Local 99, which are the lowest-paid union workers — about $35,000 a year, though their jobs often come with family health benefits, as long as the worker works at least 20 hours a week.

Local 99 has announced that it will coordinate the distribution of food boxes to members in need. The food distribution will take place “after the strikes” in the city’s Molina Grand Park on Tuesday and Friday.

“The amount is limited,” the union noted. “We encourage you to register and come prepared – for example, bring a cart to carry the supplies.”

A day of two tracks

Making a strike is a big job, as it is a job to prepare to face a strike.

That way Monday has become a two-track day – negotiating under a lot of pressure while preparing for the trip.

The district has posted lists of food distribution centers and “child care” centers in the community that can accommodate a limited number of children.

Children with moderate to severe disabilities cannot be admitted. And children under 4 cannot.

Acting Supt. Andres Chait said the district knows from experience that many families will not want childcare, but it is also difficult to predict who will want it and in which places.

Some places may be empty, others are crowded and turn people away.

It is still possible to avoid a strike

There is hope that a strike can be averted following Sunday’s announcement of suspended agreements with UTLA and AALA

99 local members were working under a contract that expired on June 30, 2024.

In its submissions, the district describes its contribution as 13% over three years. But this post may be out of date. The union wants more than that, terms vary by job.

In recent deals, Local 99 has sought and won higher percentage increases than UTLA and AALA. Union and state leaders have supported higher percentage raises for low-income earners so the increases are more meaningful to those who need them most.

Local 99 is also seeking stable work schedules because many members have had their hours reduced due to budget cuts. In some cases, these workers fall below the required hours limit to qualify for health benefits.

Details on two other deals

The management agreement includes an 11.65% wage increase over two years and an opportunity to negotiate additional increases in the third year of the three-year contract.

UTLA said the average wage increase for its members is 13.86% over the two-year agreement period.

Also important to management was an agreement to set limits on what could be unlimited, non-compensable work expectations associated with the principal and assistant principal duties.

According to the union, the district has agreed to a framework of 40 hours per week with flexible breaks for additional hours. It is unclear whether all the details of this offer have been finalized.

In its proposal, UTLA wanted an automatic “step and column” increase that teachers already receive based on years of experience and additional education credit. The union on Sunday said that the important goals in this area have been achieved.

The union also wanted to increase the annual salary of a new teacher. Under the agreement, this payment will immediately increase from $68,965 to $77,000, an 11.7% jump.

UTLA said the increase is necessary to reduce the impact of inflation in an already high-cost area. If a raise results in better teacher retention, then the district and students will benefit as well – as long as the raise is affordable.

According to the union, the proposed agreement includes:

• Expanding student support by adding more than 450 potential counselor, psychological social workers, school psychologists and counselor positions.
• Better regulation of class sizes for students with disabilities — including extra pay for teachers whose classes exceed the maximum number.
• Establishing safeguards against subcontracting and artificial intelligence.
• Commitments to support immigrant students and families, including the expansion of their resource centers.