Paul Kiernan and Roshan Fernandez:
Unions representing teachers and principals had already struck deals over the weekend. The United Teachers Los Angeles, which represents some 35,000 public-school teachers, said it won an average pay increase of nearly 14% over two years. The union representing principals and assistant principals, Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, said it earned a 12% raise over two years.
Negotiations with the third union, representing about 30,000 employees including bus drivers, custodians and special-education aides, lasted until hours before the start of school on Tuesday. SEIU Local 99 said it won a 24% wage increase over three years.
The deal avoided the closure of more than 1,300 public schools, since all three unions agreed to strike in solidarity if any one of them was unable to reach an agreement.
The threatened strike came as pandemic-era funding streams for education are running out, squeezing school districts around the country. At the same time, California’s powerful unions are under pressure from members to keep up with sky-high housing costs in one of the country’s most expensive metro areas.
California school districts receive most of their funding from the state government, which is legally required to spend 40% of its normal budget on education. The Legislative Analyst’s Office, a nonpartisan state agency that advises California’s legislature, in February warned that revenues are vulnerable to a stock-market downturn and urged lawmakers to be cautious about committing to new spending.
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