dailyloe.com – A major strike will proceed Tuesday, shutting down the Los Angeles Unified School District. The action involves three unions, with only one still negotiating. This will affect 390,000 students and 70,000 workers across the district. The strike is on unless all three unions reach a settlement.
Two of the three LAUSD unions reached tentative deals on Sunday. The holdout union, Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, continues to negotiate. All three unions have pledged to strike if any one of them fails to achieve a tentative agreement. This leaves families and workers in uncertainty as the Tuesday deadline approaches.
Local 99 represents about 30,000 workers in various roles. These include teacher aides, campus aides, gardeners, and custodians. Bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and tech support staff are also represented. The union is scheduled to resume mediation on Monday afternoon.
Negotiators took a respite on Monday morning. This followed a Sunday mediation session lasting from about 10 a.m. to about 9:30 p.m. Both sides will use the morning to assess the status of talks. They aim to break the stalemate or achieve final gains in bargaining.
The Los Angeles Board of Education began a closed session at 10 a.m. Monday. The meeting was held at district headquarters just west of downtown. The top agenda item was a conference with labor negotiators. All district unions were listed for discussion.
The board must discuss potential actions by its several non-striking unions. It needs to determine if they will honor picket lines on Tuesday. Another question is if members will be available for emergency campus tasks. They could also provide support for families during the strike.
Those non-striking unions represent various district employees. They include school police and school clerical workers. Custodial and cafeteria supervisors are also among these groups. Their decisions will impact the district’s operational capacity.
Families of 390,000 students must scramble for contingency plans. Some 70,000 workers do not know if they will work or picket. This includes teachers and school principals. The protracted talks have created widespread uncertainty.[]
Source: Los Angeles Times
