LAUSD strike talks continue late Monday as unions seek last-minute deals

A strike at Los Angeles Unified School District would quickly reach far beyond paychecks. By morning, families could be scrambling for classroom supervision, breakfast and lunch, bus rides, and special education services across a system that serves about 400,000 students a day and is already warning that even a walkout by one union could force campuses to close.

Negotiations stretched late into Monday as the district and three unions, United Teachers Los Angeles, SEIU Local 99 and Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, tried to avert a Tuesday, April 14, work stoppage. UTLA and AALA had reached tentative agreements on Sunday, April 12, but SEIU Local 99 was still bargaining late Monday night, leaving the strike threat unresolved. If the unions do walk out together, it would be the first time all three strike at once and the first LAUSD strike since 2019.

The money at issue is substantial. NBC Los Angeles reported that UTLA’s tentative deal is a two-year agreement with 11.65% salary-scale increases and a starting teacher salary of $77,000. LAUSD said its proposal for UTLA, covering 2025 to 2028, would cost an additional $901 million above current spending, with about $448 million in recurring annual costs beyond the agreement term. The district also said it has offered SEIU Local 99 a 13% wage increase over three years and described its average contribution to employee health benefits as about $22,000 per worker each year.

But the dispute is not only about wages. LAUSD has also proposed reducing class sizes and counseling ratios, a sign that staffing levels and working conditions remain central to the fight. UTLA has said its tentative agreement includes a more flexible work day, smaller class sizes and additional student-support staffing. SEIU Local 99 says its members are seeking livable wages above the poverty line, more work hours, more staffing for student services and special education, and an end to subcontracting work historically done by bargaining-unit employees.

Political pressure has widened the stakes. The Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a resolution on March 27 urging the district to negotiate a fair contract, and major Los Angeles County labor groups said they were prepared to support educators on the picket lines. LAUSD has launched a family resource website with information on food, childcare, mental health and tech support in case schools close.

What remains is the question at the center of the late-night talks: whether the district and its unions are closing a narrow wage gap, or confronting a deeper argument over how Los Angeles schools should operate after years of pandemic strain, staffing shortages and rising demands on classrooms.