Teacher's Day Out: Why Los Angeles school staff are on strike

It is teacher’s day out! Thousands of service workers backed by teachers began a three-day strike against the Los Angeles Unified School District on Tuesday, shutting down education for a half-million students in the nation’s second-largest school system, according to Associated Press. Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 30,000 teachers’ aides, special education assistants, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and other support staff, walked out amid stalled contract talks. More than 1,000 schools in and around Los Angeles were closed for the day, leaving over 500,000 students without classes. Also read: US Senate confirms former Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti as ambassador to India The massive strike Workers said striking was their only remaining option. Teachers joined rain-soaked picket lines as workers demanded better wages and increased staffing before heading to a huge rally outside the district’s headquarters in downtown Los Angeles at 4.30 am. [caption id=“attachment_12337772” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and Service Employees International Union 99 members rally outside the LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles Tuesday. AP[/caption] Some held signs that read “We keep schools safe, Respect Us!” The district has more than 500,000 students from Los Angeles and all or part of 25 other cities and unincorporated county areas. Nearly three-quarters are Latino. Bus driver Mike Cervantes began his day of protest with a 4 a.m. rally at a bus yard before joining a demonstration at a school and then heading downtown. “I’m going to be here, rain or shine,” he said. “This is historic.” Also read: Is Donald Trump going to be arrested today? What we know and what happens next Underpaid for years The union claims many of its workers earn “poverty wages” of $25,000 (~Rs 20.53 lakh) a year. They are asking for a 30 per cent pay raise with an additional boost for the workers who are paid the least. In addition to salary demands, the union has blamed staffing shortages on the district’s reliance on low-wage, part-time workers. Notably, SEIU members have been working without a contract since June 2020, while the contract for teachers expired in June 2022. The unions decided last week to stop accepting extensions to their contracts. Teachers waged a six-day strike in 2019 over pay and contract issues but schools remained open. Instructional aide Marlee Ostrow, who planned to join picket lines, said she’s long overdue for a raise. The 67-year-old was hired two decades ago at $11.75 (~Rs 965) an hour, and today she makes about $16 (~Rs 1,314). That isn’t enough to keep pace with inflation and rising housing prices, she said, and meanwhile, her duties have expanded from two classrooms to five. Ostrow blames the district’s low wages for job vacancies that have piled up in recent years. “There’s not even anybody applying because you can make more money starting at Burger King,” she said. “A lot of people really want to help kids, and they shouldn’t be penalized for wanting that to be their life’s work.” “People with some of the most important responsibilities in our schools should not have to live in poverty,” said US representative Adam Schiff (D-California), who is running for the US Senate, at a news conference with the United Teachers Los Angeles union. [caption id=“attachment_12337792” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Standing in the rain United Teachers Los Angeles join the Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and Service Employees International Union 99 (SEIU) members picket outside Panorama High School in Los Angeles. AP[/caption] Leaders of United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing 35,000 educators, counsellors and other staff, earlier pledged solidarity with the strikers. “These are the co-workers that are the lowest-paid workers in our schools and we cannot stand idly by as we consistently see them disrespected and mistreated by this district,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz told a news conference. The union says district support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 (~Rs 20.53 lakh) per year and many live in poverty because of low pay or limited work hours while struggling with inflation and the high cost of housing in Los Angeles County. The union is asking for a 30 per cent rise. Teachers want a 20 per cent pay hike over two years. Also read: Why Eric Garcetti's confirmation as US ambassador to India took two years District’s failure to meet the demands “I will make sure the wellbeing of L.A. students always comes first as I continue to work with all parties to reach an agreement to reopen the schools and guarantee fair treatment of all LAUSD workers,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho admitted that workers had been underpaid for years, however, failed to meet the union’s demands. He accused the union of refusing to negotiate and said that he was prepared to meet at any time day or night. [caption id=“attachment_12337802” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and Service Employees International Union 99 members rally outside the LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles Tuesday. AP[/caption] “We remain ready to return to negotiations with SEIU Local 99 so we can provide an equitable contract to our hardworking employees and get our students back in classrooms,” the superintendent said in a statement Tuesday. The district has offered a cumulative 23 per cent raise, starting with two per cent retroactive as of the 2020-21 school year and ending with five per cent in 2024-25. The package would also include a one-time three per cent bonus for those who have been on the job more than a year, along with more full-time positions and an expansion of healthcare benefits. “This offer addresses the needs and concerns of the union, while also remaining fiscally responsible and keeping the District in a financially stable position,” Carvalho’s statement said. Also read: The TikTok protests: Why children are rioting in schools across the UK? Joe Biden’s support The White House said President Joe Biden supports workers’ right to strike and the collective bargaining process. “We urge both sides to work in good faith toward a mutually acceptable solution so that there can be a quick resolution and the kids, and school employees, can get back to where they want to be, which is in school, especially the kids,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. The strike has wide support among union members. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.