LAUSD strike averted

Los Angeles Unified schools opened Tuesday, April 14, after the district and its last holdout union reached a tentative deal just hours before a planned walkout. (laist.com) The final agreement came with Service Employees International Union Local 99 at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, according to LAist and NBC Los Angeles. The union represents about 30,000 workers, including bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and special education assistants. (laist.com) (nbclosangeles.com) The district had already reached tentative agreements over the weekend with United Teachers Los Angeles and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles. EdSource said those three unions together represent about 71,000 employees across the nation’s second-largest school system. (edsource.org) (politico.com) The support-staff deal includes a 24% wage increase, expanded health coverage for some aides and after-school workers, and the rescinding of layoffs for hundreds of information technology technicians, KTLA reported. The teachers’ deal would raise salary scales by 11.65% and set beginning teacher pay at $77,000, according to EdSource. (ktla.com) (edsource.org) The strike threat had been set for Tuesday, April 14, after more than a year of bargaining over pay, benefits and student support. LAist reported that union members had voted overwhelmingly to authorize leaders to call a strike if talks failed. (laist.com) If the walkout had happened, it would have shut down classes across Los Angeles Unified and disrupted school for nearly 400,000 students, LAist reported. Politico said the stoppage would also have hit families scrambling for child care and school meal plans. (laist.com) (politico.com) Mayor Karen Bass joined the late negotiations with Service Employees International Union Local 99 on Monday night, and the final deal was announced before dawn Tuesday. Acting Superintendent Andrés Chait said the district had reached resolution with all labor partners and would keep schools stable for students and families. (laist.com) (ktla.com) The labor fight unfolded while Los Angeles Unified was already under pressure from a projected $191 million deficit in the 2027-28 school year, according to EdSource. Unions, meanwhile, argued the district could draw on roughly $5 billion in reserves to fund raises and staffing. (edsource.org) The tentative deals still need ratification, but the immediate test passed: campuses stayed open on April 14 instead of closing in a districtwide strike. (ktla.com) (edsource.org)