The Los Angeles Unified School District and union leaders have reached a deal on pay raises for bus drivers, custodians and other support staff following a three-day strike that shut down the nation's second-largest school system. This announcement was made on Friday by both parties.
The strike began earlier this week when more than 30,000 members of the Service Employees International Union Local 99 walked out of their jobs demanding higher wages and better working conditions. The protest led to the closure of hundreds of schools across Los Angeles County.
However, after days of negotiations between union representatives and school district officials, an agreement has been reached. According to the terms of the deal, support staff will receive a 6% raise starting July 1st along with additional funding for staffing increases at certain schools.
In a joint statement released by LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner and SEIU Local 99 President Max Arias, both expressed satisfaction over reaching an agreement without compromising student learning or disrupting classroom instruction:
"We are pleased to announce that we have come to an agreement on behalf of our valued employees who work tirelessly every day in supporting our students," they said. "We appreciate their hard work and dedication."
This is not the first time L.A.'s public school district has faced strikes from its workers as last year saw teachers protesting over overcrowded classrooms resulting in pay raises for instructors.
As part of this new agreement which still awaits formal approval from LAUSD Board Members later this month, SEIU Local 99 also agreed not to go on another strike until June next year at least.
Overall it seems like a positive outcome for all involved parties especially students who can now return back to their regular schedules knowing there won't be any further disruptions anytime soon.