Contact: Maya Polon 916.444.7614, maya@paschalroth.com

Food Service Workers, Custodians, Special Education Assistants, and thousands of other workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District are set to begin an unfair labor practices strike in less than 24 hours.

Los Angeles Unified School District attempted to assert that the strike for unfair labor practices was illegal, but the state agency that oversees public employee relations, the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB), flatly rejected their bid to delegitimize workers’ complaints of unfair, illegal treatment.

School workers represented by SEIU Local 99 voted overwhelmingly (96% in favor) to authorize a strike last month. During the strike vote and contract bargaining process, the district subjected workers to surveillance, intimidation, and harassment. The strike will begin at 4:30 am Tuesday, March 21 and continue through Thursday March 23.

“I’m going on strike to show LAUSD that I refuse to be intimidated by the district’s unfair bargaining tactics,” said Yolanda Reed, a Special Education Assistant at LAUSD. “Whether we keep schools clean and safe, make sure students don’t go hungry, or support classroom instruction, every school worker deserves respect.”

“30,000 workers standing together can’t be intimidated, bullied, or underestimated,” said Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99. “Despite LAUSD’s misleading statements in the media and threats against workers who are exercising their right to take action, our movement is only growing stronger. Teachers, students and parents in the district are standing with school workers and their right to take action – free from fear – to bargain for better wages and increased staffing in our schools.

Picket lines will be set-up at LAUSD schools and facilities throughout the school district starting on Tuesday, March 21.

Latest updates posted here: https://www.seiu99.org/press/

LAUSD Strike Media Availability Events:

Tuesday, March 21

  • 4:30 am – Picket Lines at Van Nuys Bus Yard – 16200 Roscoe Blvd Van Nuys, CA 91406
  • 7:00 am – Press Conference at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools – 701 S Catalina St, Los Angeles 90005
  • 1:00 pm – Rally at LAUSD Headquarters – 333 South Beaudry Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Wednesday, March 22

  • 4:30 am – Picket Lines at Gardena Bus Yard 18421 S. Hoover St. Gardena, CA 90248
  • 7:00 am – Press Conference & Picketing at Polytechnic High School – 12431 Roscoe Blvd. Sun Valley 91352
  • 11:00 am: Rally at LAUSD Local District Office 2151 N. Soto St. Los Angeles, CA 90032

Thursday, March 23

  • 4:30 am – Picket Lines at BD Bus Yard 774 E 17th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
  • 7:00 am – Press Conference & Picket Lines at Banneker Career Transition Ctr – 14024 San Pedro St, Los Angeles 90061
  • 1:00 pm – Rally – Location to be determined

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SEIU Local 99 is a union of 50,000 education workers in K-12 schools, early education centers and homes, and community colleges throughout Southern California, including 30,000 cafeteria workers, special education assistants, custodians, bus drivers and others providing essential student services at LAUSD schools.