After striking for three days, Los Angeles Unified School District staff finally got the raise they deserved. This strike closed hundreds of school campuses, canceling classes for hundreds of thousands of students. Los Angeles schools still gave food to those who rely on school for their meals during the strike. The strike began because custodians, cafeteria workers, and special education aids requested better wages and working conditions. Striking in this case wasn’t illegal because the union filed for unfair labor practices. Problems occurred and staff couldn’t come to an agreement with LAUSD about these new requests. These workers were determined to have their requests met and had the back of the rest of the school. Not even the rain stopped them from showing up at the LAUSD headquarters and picketing. Parent Jenna Schwartz made the point that, “We have some of our most underpaid workers doing some of the most challenging jobs on our campuses.” Many of these workers were facing struggles and really needed better wages and working conditions. Special education assistant, Fatima Grayson, stated, “A lot of people that do work for LAUSD have to work two jobs.” Another special education assistant, Celia Cordova states, “I make $23 an hour, and I only work thirty hours a week. I can go be a cashier or work at McDonald’s and make more money than I do now.” After striking, the workers and staff got what they had been requesting through a tentative deal. This deal includes a 30% increase in wage. It also included a $1000 bonus for all and increased the average annual salary from $25,000 to $33,000. More classes of workers have been given health care benefits as well. Special education teachers even got seven hours of work guaranteed to make sure they get in all their hours. Among all other benefits, the strike was a success as the LAUSD staff got what they deserved.
Cover Photo brought to you by Mike Chickey - My friend and photographer Mike Chickey said I could use his strike photos for Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84523409