News Update

LAUSD superintendent tells families to prepare for school closures from worker strike

Los Angeles Unified schools will likely close temporarily if union workers in the district go through with a three-day strike, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in an email to families, according to the Los Angeles Times.

It’s not yet clear what days the potential strike would be, but that will be announced Wednesday at a rally in downtown Los Angeles. The strike would be led by Local 99 of Service Employees International, whose 30,000 workers include bus drivers, custodians and cafeteria workers. The union representing teachers in the district, United Teachers Los Angeles, has also urged its members to walk out in solidarity with those employees, the Times reported.

“If this strike does occur, despite our best efforts to avoid it, due to the anticipated lack of both teachers and school staff, it is likely we would have to close schools — without virtual education — until the strike ends,” Carvalho said in the email, according to the Times. “We would simply have no way of ensuring a safe and secure environment where teaching can take place. We will give you as much advance notice as possible, but we encourage you to begin discussions with your employer, child care providers and others now.”

Local 99 workers would be striking in protest of what they allege are illegal actions by LAUSD during bargaining, the Times reported. Unlike an indefinite strike, this strike would likely be for a fixed amount of time, three days. L.A. Unified officials have denied wrongdoing.