Thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District service workers have overwhelmingly approved what has been described as a ‘historic’ labor agreement, with more than 99% of members voting in favor of the deal, said trade union officials today.
The nearly 30,000 members of Service Employees International Union Local 99 voted on the proposed contract in person and online from April 3-7. The deal was reached on March 24 following a strike that shut down the nation’s second-largest school district for three days.
The agreement must also be approved by the LAUSD Board of Education. A district representative said the vote is expected to take place at the next regular council meeting, scheduled for April 18.
“This contract recognizes the essential work of those who work hard to ensure that students can learn in a clean, safe and supportive environment,” SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said Saturday.
“This is a big step forward with significant improvements in wages, working hours and benefits for education workers who have been left behind for too long. It will also lead to long-term benefits for student services, as improved jobs will allow the district to recruit and retain more workers to help feed students, transport them to school, support them in the classroom, and keep the school clean,” Arias added.
The contract effectively met the union’s demand for a 30% wage increase and also includes bonuses, back wages and fully paid health benefits.
In an earlier statement, the district said the agreement “addresses historic wage inequities, creates a massive expansion of health care benefits for part-time employees, invests significant resources in workforce development professional work, while maintaining the financial stability of the district.
According to the SEIU, the 30% wage increase will raise the average salary of union members from $25,000 a year to $33,000. The deal also includes a $1,000 bonus for all members who were in the district during the 2020-21 school year.
It also includes an ongoing 6% wage increase retroactive to July 2021, a 7% wage increase retroactive to July 2022 and a $2 per hour increase for all employees effective Jan. 1, 2024, the Superintendent from LAUSD, Alberto Carvalho.
The district said the contract would raise LAUSD’s minimum wage to $22.52 an hour, ahead of the state and city of Los Angeles.
It would also provide health benefits to part-time employees who work four or more hours a day, including coverage for dependents. It also calls for more hours and pay for paraprofessionals who work with students with special needs, and invests $3 million in an education and career development fund for SEIU members.
Carvalho repeatedly called the contract “historic”, noting that in recent years most negotiated contracts have resulted in salary increases of 2.5% to 3%.
The SEIU’s three-day strike in March was joined in solidarity by the nearly 30,000 members of United Teachers Los Angeles, which represents teachers in the district. SEIU Local 99 represents cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, special education aides and others.
The district and the union traded accusations of unfair bargaining during contract negotiations and during the strike itself, and the district filed documents with the state accusing the union of engaging in an illegal strike by withdrawing before the end of the negotiation process. The union filed unfair labor practice complaints, claiming that union members were victims of harassment and intimidation tactics by the district.