On Friday, a tentative agreement between the Los Angeles Unified School District and the union representing support staff was finally reached, putting an end to a three-day-long strike that kept more than 400,000 students out of school.
The settlement, according to the SEIU Local 99’s website, adequately addresses its members’ key demands and paves the pathway to improving employee livelihoods and student services. Ultimately, union members feel winning the respect of their district was crucial in making this agreement possible.
“Here in California this agreement will set new standards, not just for Los Angeles, but the entire state,” said Max Arias, executive director of Local 99 in a joint news conference with LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who also said it was “a historic day.”
The agreement is not an across-the-board pay increase, but one that is spread out over time and influenced by one’s length of employment and current salary.
Here’s a brief look at the highlights of the settlement, according to the union’s website:
- 30% wage increase
- Retroactive pay of $4,000-$8,000, depending on job classification and years of service
- $1,000 appreciation bonus for all who worked during 2020-21
- Increase to average annual salary from $25,000 to $33,000
- Special education assistants are now guaranteed seven hours of work
- Fully paid health care benefits for teacher assistants, community representatives, after-school program workers and others.
“Our fight brought our city and country together,” the union wrote in their announcement. “Mayor Karen Bass was instrumental to getting the District to finally start hearing our demands.”
According to Carvalho, this reconciliation was the result of a common understanding.
“I’ve said since I arrived in Los Angeles that impossible conditions faced by many of our employees, many of our children and their families are real,” he said. “Whether it is the unaffordability of housing, whether it is the unhoused nature of many of our children or their parents—or in some cases, members of our workforce.”
This agreement is a crucial step to provide equitable resources for the hardworking and dedicated employees who support the work of education.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho breaks down new deal with union workershttps://t.co/fNa9HfP3kZ via @YouTube
— Alberto M. Carvalho (@LAUSDSup) March 26, 2023
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