(LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA) - More than 68,000 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Educators and Staff Members - represented by United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99, respectively - are ready to Strike if School Administrators refuse to settle a fair deal by April 14th. In the past decade, Los Angeles-area residents have seen inflation rise by more than 40%, putting a major financial strain on Workers. Local 99 - which has been bargaining for a new contract for 2.5 years - says that 99% of its Members are unable to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles. ULTA shares 56% of its Members are dealing with credit card debt and 30% have worked a second job. LAUSD has so far failed to offer meaningful proposals around salaries, class size enforcement, limitations on sub-contracting, staffing ratios and support for Special Education Programs. UTLA Vice President Julie Van Winkle said: “This is definitely to fight for public schools - a fight to make sure that we get the resources that we need at our schools. But it’s also a fight for working people. It’s not okay to live in the biggest City, in the richest State, in the richest country in the history of the world, and to have Public Educators that can’t even afford to live in the City where we teach.” During a Fight for LA joint rally that featured a crowd in different Union T-shirts, SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said: “Now, this is what solidarity looks like. All of us here together, all colors ready to go!”

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: Los Angeles Unified faces potential strike by 68,000 teachers, other employees starting April 14 | EdSource

Photo Courtesy Of The United Teachers Los Angeles’s Facebook Page.