LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles schools have successfully avoided a strike that would have impacted nearly 400,000 students across Southern California. A tentative agreement was reached early Tuesday between the school district and the union representing support staff, SEIU Local 99.
Local 99 announced via social media that they achieved a tentative agreement with significant improvements, including pay raises and more hours for workers. The district confirmed that an agreement in principle was established, allowing schools to remain operational on Tuesday while formalizing the details of the tentative agreement.
The agreement includes essential protections against subcontracting, halting layoffs in the tech department, and improving staffing levels. SEIU Local 99 urged their members to report to work as usual and expressed gratitude towards fellow unions and the broader Los Angeles community, affirming that this success is a collective victory.
Preparations for a potential strike had been in place by teachers, principals, and various staff members if an agreement was not finalized. Over the weekend, unions representing teachers and principals had preceded this agreement with their own tentative contract agreements with the district.
All three unions represent approximately 70,000 workers across the Los Angeles Unified School District. They had collectively pledged to strike if any of the unions failed to secure a tentative agreement. Historically, the unions have never coordinated a simultaneous strike. In a previous instance in 2023, when Local 99 workers went on strike, teachers took part and classes at about 150 of the district’s 1,000 schools continued to operate due to administrative support.
