LAUSD frontline workers stage informational picket seeking better wages, hours
In an effort to send the district a “wake-up call,” campus workers for the Los Angeles Unified School District staged an informational picket on Thursday morning.
Max Arias, Executive Director of education-worker labor union Service Employees International Union Local 99, said the picketing was the start of the process in the pursuit of a new contract for campus frontline workers ahead of the June expiration of the current one, which was signed last year. The contract affects district employees including cafeteria workers, custodians and security.
“We’re restarting our contract campaign,” he said. “This is really starting our process and making sure the district understands that our members need a living wage.”
Thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and Service Employees International Union 99 members rally outside the LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles Tuesday, March 21, 2023. 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. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) FILE – Union leaders address thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and Service Employees International Union 99 members during a rally outside the LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles on March 21, 2023. In an agreement announced Saturday, April 8, Los Angeles Unified School District workers approved a labor deal following a massive three-day strike over wages and staffing that halted education for students in one of the nation’s largest school systems. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) Around 60,000 Los Angeles Unified School District employees on strike, calling for higher wages and better working conditions on March 23, 2023. (KTLA) Around 60,000 Los Angeles Unified School District employees on strike, calling for higher wages and better working conditions on March 23, 2023. (KTLA)
Arias said the picketing also served as a protest against the district for cutting the hours of workers who provide safety and security to students — a cut he called unlawful.
The district and union agreed to a 30% raise after a three-day strike last year, but Arias says its “absolutely” not enough.
“That 30% increase got us about $33,000 on the average,” he said. “Let’s remind everyone: the poverty line for a family of four in L.A. is $36,900. We need to at least get there, and then beyond.”
Another strike isn’t necessarily imminent despite the picketing. Arias said that if LAUSD listens to the workers then there should be no strike.
“At the end of the day this is additional services for students that we’re talking about,” he said. “We’re hopeful as we begin negotiations next month that they’ll listen this time and we’ll get something back soon.”
LAUSD did not immediately respond to a formal request for comment from KTLA.
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