LA school strike: Teachers dance in the rain while parents scramble for child care

The school strike is still ongoing in Los Angeles as the strike entered its second day on Wednesday. The strange weather on Tuesday saw striking employees dancing in the rain while parents scrambled for other child care options.

The strike is expected to continue until Thursday, with school service employees in the Los Angeles Unified School District leaving their jobs due to negotiations impasse with the Local 99 chapter of the Service Employees International Union. The union is comprised of district staff, including cafeteria workers and bus drivers. The strike gained support from the LA teachers union who joined the picket lines in solidarity.

Schools have remained closed since the beginning of the strike, forcing parents to frantically search for alternative child care options. Families that rely on school meals have been offered three days’ worth of bagged lunches at various distribution centers around the city.

According to the district officials, 124,596 meals were dispensed on Tuesday at the drive-up distribution locations, which included recreation facilities. Despite pouring rain throughout the day, cars lined up to collect their meals. The city also provided several child supervision centers to assist with child care.

In the meantime, the striking workers danced in the street, holding umbrellas and continuing their protests.

The service workers union is asking for a 30% increase in wages for all service workers, as well as a $2 per hour “equity wage adjustment” and improvements to working conditions, such as more staffing and the right to file grievances. The average wage for service workers is $25,000 per year, and they typically do not work full-time hours. The union claims that the district offered a 3.7% raise.

The union is also seeking healthcare benefits, vacation pay, more full-time work hours, and paid professional development days.

“30,000 workers standing together can’t be intimidated, bullied, or underestimated,” said Max Arias, executive director of SEIU Local 99. “Despite LAUSD’s misleading statements in the media and threats against workers who are exercising their right to take action, our movement is only growing stronger. Teachers, students, and parents in the district are standing with school workers and their right to take action—free from fear—to bargain for better wages and increased staffing in our schools.”

As negotiations continue to stall, Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, has stepped in to try and resolve the situation. “District officials have been in conversation with SEIU Local 99 leaders with the assistance and support of Mayor Bass,” the school district announced on Wednesday. “We continue to do everything possible to reach an agreement that honors the hard work of our employees, corrects historic inequities, maintains the financial stability of the district, and brings students back to the classroom. We are hopeful these talks continue and look forward to updating our school community on a resolution.”

Arias also expressed his gratitude for Bass’s involvement, stating that “we are grateful that the mayor has stepped in to provide leadership in an effort to find a path out of our current impasse,” according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

“Education workers have always been eager to negotiate as long as we are treated with respect and bargained with fairly and with the Mayor’s leadership, we believe that is possible,” Arias concluded.