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LAUSD's unions want new contracts. What's happening now, and what it means for families
Members of LAUSD unions protest outside Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, calling for new contracts.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Topline:
There’s increasing tension between Los Angeles Unified and the labor unions that represent teachers, support staff and principals over wages and benefits for about 68,000 district employees. The unions picketed at hundreds of schools Tuesday.
Who’s at the bargaining table: United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), SEIU Local 99 and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles are working under expired contracts. The unions are also in the midst of separate negotiations over health care benefits that will expire at the end of the year without a new agreement.
What’s the conflict and what happens next? The unions say the district should pull from its multi-billion-dollar reserves to increase wages and provide more mental health support for students. “Nobody wants to go on strike, but if we have to, we will,” said UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz. “We've shown that two times in the past, but that's not what we want. We actually want real supports, real investments. The district can do it.” LAUSD told LAist in a statement that the raises it’s already offered align with increases in state funding.
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The backstory: Educators and support staff won double-digit wage increases after teachers joined a three-day SEIU strike in 2023. The unions have long pointed to the district’s reserves as a potential source for raises and increased benefits. According to the most recent financial report, LAUSD had an estimated $3.6 billion left at the end of its last budget year; 44% of that money is designated for existing district programs, economic uncertainty or otherwise restricted, and the remaining funding is not designated to a specific purpose.
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