Los Angeles teachers join support staff strike, impacting a half-million students

WASHINGTON (TND) — Teachers in Los Angeles joined a strike on Tuesday, effectively stopping classes for a half-million students in the nation's second largest school district.

The strike came after negotiations broke down between the school district and a union representing education support staff such as cafeteria workers, custodians and bus drivers.

Following the communication breakdown between the district and Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, the members of United Teachers Los Angeles – the L.A. teachers' union – said they would not cross the striking support staff's picket lines.

“These are the co-workers that are the lowest-paid workers in our schools and we cannot stand idly by as we consistently see them disrespected and mistreated by this district,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said in a news conference.

Thirty thousand teachers joined therefore effectively join the strike as a show of solidarity.

We've run out of time. I made myself available alongside my team for hours ... hoping that we would in fact be able to have a conversation," said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. "For a whole host of reasons – some of which I do not understand – we were never in the same room or even in the same building.

The union wants a 30% increase in pay, more hours for part-time workers and increased staffing levels. The district came back with 23% increase and full-benefits for part-time workers. It wasn’t enough.

“No students can afford to lose any more time in the classroom," said Alex Nester with Parents Defending Education. "We learned over the pandemic that in classroom learning instruction is just so valuable to our kids."

Critics are alleging that this strike proves there are times when children don’t come first in the education system.

“You have to stop and wonder are they actually putting the students first – when they want to talk about LBGTQ in the classroom, when they want to talk about Critical Race Theory – or are they actually putting themselves first, in what they want the students to know," said Brittany Lyssy with The Leadership Institute's School Board Programs. "Because, like we mentioned, they’re putting themselves first now by not continuing the education during this strike."

Education advocates, like civil rights attorney Ben Crump, have argued placing students first shouldn’t be political.

"It does affect all of us. We can’t afford to lose not one young person’s mind being developed and cultivated,” said Crump during an interview last November.

National politicians are already picking sides. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who represents parts of Los Angeles, joined the strikers on Tuesday.

“We wonder why so many people are homeless in Los Angeles? It's because we pay them a poverty wage," said Schiff.

The strike will last through Thursday.

However, union leaders threatening are now threatening more strikes if current demands are not met.