Going on strike isn’t a new concept for the teachers of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Teachers went on a six-day strike in 2019 and teachers and service workers went on a three-day strike in 2023. Now, LAUSD teachers, along with service workers and administrators, are planning another strike that could begin on Apr. 14. It’s very important to understand the causes behind the strike and how it may affect students going forward.
United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) is a labor union for certificated staff in both public schools and some charter schools in LAUSD. They address concerns from teachers, students, and parents. UTLA “ensures equity in public education, upholds educators’ rights, advances the well-being of students, and strengthens communities,” as stated on their website. They bargain with LAUSD to achieve these goals, but in the past year they have not yet reached an agreement.
There are a multitude of reasons fueling UTLA’s strike, but the three main reasons are for a pay increase, better benefits for teachers, and better resources for students. Unfortunately, according to Hamilton’s UTLA chapter chair Ms. Alvarez-Zakson, the district hasn’t met UTLA halfway on these issues yet, so a formal strike is necessary to pressure the district to meet demands.
“When we go into bargaining negotiations, we know that we are not going to get 100 percent of the things we ask for,” said Ms. Alvarez-Zakson. “But we are asking LAUSD to meet us at least partway there, and it really hasn’t played out.”
The teachers will not be alone on the picket line. Support staff—teacher assistants, cafeteria workers, custodians—and even administrative staff are planning to join in on the effort. The strike is not set in stone just yet; negotiations between the different unions and the district are still underway.
Ms. Mims Reed, the Service Employees International Union Local 99 (SEIU) chapter chair and a member of the SEIU bargaining team, emphasized the goals of the strikes. “We could’ve settled for raises for pennies at a time, but it’s not just about the money,” she said. “The money wasn’t enough. It’s more about what our students deserve, it’s more about what the employees deserve.”
Some of the changes that the unions are hoping to achieve through these meetings outside of higher paid wages are paid parental leave, smaller class sizes, better student support, better stocking of bathrooms, a limiting of AI contracts, and a more effective use of district funds in general.
Ms. Alvarez-Zakson emphasized her concern with the district’s contracts with AI. “A big take that UTLA has is that when it comes to supporting students, students deserve people,” she said. “Students deserve people that support them, not robots and computers. And so we want to make sure that we’re funding that.”
If no compromise is reached by Apr. 14, then the unions will go out on the picket lines. The strike does not have a set duration, so it will last until an agreement is made. The agreement could take days, or more than a week.
AMPA U.S. History teacher Ms. Colson expressed her gratitude with the support teachers have received for a potential strike. “I’m glad that people are in solidarity with us to protest, to make sure that our communities are getting the things and the resources that we need,” she said.
Students also shared their support for the cause.
Jonathan Sutherland, an AMPA senior, said that teachers deserve what they are requesting. “I feel like it’s a very needed thing to happen because our teachers deserve a lot of respect, and they deserve a raise dealing with everybody here and all the students,” he said.
“It’s a lot of hard work.”
Leyla Zavala, Nicholas Ting, and Ariana Guardado contributed reporting for this article.
