LA's 30,000 Support Staff Face Strike as LAUSD Deal Hangs in Balance

The Los Angeles Unified School District entered a critical final stretch Monday in contract negotiations with SEIU Local 99, the union representing approximately 30,000 teacher aides, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and campus support staff. The deadline loomed as the district and two other unions had already announced tentative agreements over the weekend, but labor leaders warned that all three unions would strike in solidarity if Local 99 walked away empty-handed. On Sunday morning, the district reached a tentative deal with United Teachers Los Angeles, affecting roughly 22,000 educators and support personnel. The two-year agreement provides an average salary increase of 13.86% for teachers, raises the starting teacher salary to $77,000 per year, and commits $650 million annually in ongoing costs. The deal also adds more than 450 positions for school psychologists, counselors and psychiatric social workers while establishing protections against artificial intelligence use and reducing class sizes for students with disabilities. Hours later, LAUSD reached a separate tentative agreement with the Associated Administrators Los Angeles and Teamsters 2010, representing approximately 3,000 principals and assistant principals. That deal guarantees an 11.65% salary increase over two years with a reopener for year three, and establishes a framework limiting administrators to a 40-hour work week with compensated flex time for additional hours. Local 99 members, working under an expired contract since June 30, 2024, have demanded substantially more. The union is seeking wage increases varying by job classification, while LAUSD has offered 13% over three years. The 30,000 workers represented by Local 99 include some of the district's lowest-paid employees and have worked without a contract for more than 21 months. If negotiations fail, the strike would affect all three unions, potentially closing schools serving roughly 400,000 students across Los Angeles. The three unions collectively represent approximately 70,000 of the district's 83,300 employees and nearly all campus workers. LAUSD officials stated Monday they would continue meeting with Local 99 "with the intent to reach an agreement that would allow us to keep schools open." The union said its leaders would move forward with strike plans if an agreement was not finalized before the Tuesday deadline.