March 21 (Reuters) – The second largest school district in the United States canceled classes on Tuesday for what could be a three-day strike by 30,000 Los Angeles education support staff backed by a teachers’ union that refuses to cross their picket line.
The strike in the Los Angeles Unified School District will also disrupt meals, counseling and other social services for 565,000 students and their parents.
It follows a six-day teachers’ strike in 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic that closed classroom instruction for more than a year in 2020 and 2021.
The Service Employees International Union Local 99, representing bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and classroom assistants, began its strike early on Tuesday morning after last-minute negotiations broke down on Monday.
The union, which said 96% of its membership had authorized the strike, is demanding a 30% salary increase plus a further $2 per hour for the lowest-paid workers, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In pouring rain early on Tuesday, striking workers and teachers formed picket lines under umbrellas and held up “Respect Us!” signs at a school bus yard, local media reported.
“We love our students, and we’re here for the students. But if we can’t properly take care of our kids, how can we properly come here and work as well?” Lynneier Boyd-Peterson, a striking bus driver, told KTLA 5 local television station.
The union was also planning to picket at schools and in front of Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters later in the day.
The 35,000-member United Teachers Los Angeles union said it is supporting the action as it wants to bring educational workers out of poverty, reduce class sizes and ensure each school is fully staffed.
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told reporters on Monday the district was offering a 23% raise plus a 3% bonus and that “there are still additional resources to put on the table.”
“We understand the frustration,” Carvalho said, acknowledging that workers had been underpaid for years and offering to remain on standby around the clock in order to reach a deal to end the strike early.
Despite the strike, the school district will attempt to provide food services for hungry students, Carvalho said, advising parents to identify multiple alternatives in case some meal stations are overwhelmed.
Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Bradley Perrett, Chizu Nomiyamam and Bill Berkrot
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