We all lose when our children’s education is disrupted.

Backdating…

We all agree that workers deserve a living wage. Yes, those who work should not live in poverty.

However, in light of the large-scale disruption that LAUSD students have experienced over the past three years due to the pandemic that has left them at home without studying. Union leaders representing workers in LAUSD should use their imagination and explore other places to advance their members’ interests before they interfere with our students’ learning.

SEIU Local 99 and its 30,000 employees are deadlocked with LAUSD. Bus drivers, caretakers, catering workers, teaching aids, teacher aides and after-school program workers went on strike Tuesday. UTLA and its 35,000 teachers are on strike in solidarity and join SEIU Local 99. Schools cannot function without teachers and these essential workers; so they had to close. SEIU is demanding a 30% pay rise and is demanding $2 an hour for the lowest paid workers.

On Friday, LAUSD made an offer of 19%, marking a steady 19% gain over three years. On Monday, it was reported that the county had increased its offer to a generous “23%, plus a 3% cash bonus, a $20 an hour minimum wage and full medical benefits for those who work at least four years.” hours per day.” The district offered 77% of what was required, which was not enough for the SEIU to prevent a strike so that students would not miss classes.

Negotiations require that the parties understand that the process involves give and take and that negotiators must be able to make concessions. Local 99 is unwilling to return to the negotiating table unless they get everything they want. This approach breeds a dangerous self-confident arrogance that may not serve the interests of the workers.

The education of our students should never be sacrificed or included in any strategy to help trade union workers out of poverty. Fighting poverty by sacrificing the education of poor Hispanic and Black students in the Unified District of Los Angeles is pointless.

LAUSD, the nation’s second-largest school district, has 73% of students living in poverty, Hispanics, according to the district’s website. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has hit students hard; Many reports and articles have been published showing the learning losses that have occurred among our poor students. Many students have been affected by the pandemic not only in their studies. They were also emotionally affected, as were many lost family members, who may have included their families.

During the pandemic, students began taking classes online, and many struggled with access to technology and their families’ poverty. Many students never signed up for these classes and spent months sitting at home doing nothing.

In addition, it was widely reported that in 2022, half of all LAUSD students were permanently absent. Experts tell us that children need to be able to read and write by age 9 to keep up academically. With all the problems that families with children at this age face, it’s not hard to extrapolate that many of our children are woefully behind—clearly, a crisis of biblical proportions.

Last year’s assessment test results showed that nearly seven out of ten students did not meet the state’s minimum standards, and one in two students did not meet the English language standards. When these estimates are compared to the year before the pandemic, the drop in academic performance should alarm those responsible for educating our children.

The situation is worse for low-income black and Hispanic students: “84% of blacks and 79% of Hispanic and low-income students” cannot meet this state standard in mathematics.

To LAUSD’s credit, district leaders have tried to address the loss of knowledge by increasing and extending the school day or adding extra days to the school year. But such efforts were unexpectedly rebuffed by UTLA, despite the fact that the district was willing to pay in full, including other benefits to those who wanted to help students. Many parents were dismayed and disappointed that UTLA was refusing additional student education.

In addition, the excessive burden placed on parents during these three days is enormous. The three-day strike will affect the poorest resident of Los Angeles. Many parents are extremely confused and angry that LAUSD provides not only education for their children, but also childcare and nutrition. In schools, many poor students have breakfast and lunch, and many are even given food for dinner. Campus closures are devastating for these needy students.

On Monday, many students brought home packages for schoolwork not only for three, but for ten days. Who will help these children with their homework? A good 80% of LAUSD students live in poverty and their parents are forced to work long hours leaving them no time to help their children.

Students have no protectors. It’s no secret that the parents of children in the neighborhood are usually ignored when making decisions that affect their children. The fight for LAUSD resources and direction is consistent between UTLA, Local 99, charter schools, and district leaders. Parents of children are usually excluded from these vital conversations.

Parents need to come together and think at a deeper level about how they can become relevant and effectively influence decisions that benefit their children’s education.

The guiding principle or theme of this strike is the fight against poverty in Los Angeles. It is true that most of the workers represented by Local 99, like millions of other workers in Los Angeles, cannot afford to live in this city. Many SEIU members do live in poverty, which raises the question of why their union spends lavishly on politicians. They should demand more from these politicians that they are sending to the legislature in Sacramento. Approximately 90% of LAUSD funding comes from Sacramento. UTLA and Local 99 spend a lot of money on politics. Both unions should demand that the state allocate more money to the county. In this way, LAUSD can pay workers a living wage and raise the salaries of their teachers.

Living in Los Angeles is not easy, and of course Local 99 workers need help. They are not alone; Many people living in Los Angeles need help. But we cannot ignore the district’s budget constraints. The county’s pandemic funding is no longer coming in or is about to stop. And many parents with school-age children are moving to other cities or states, and the decline in enrollment will severely impact public funding. As late as 2000, there were nearly 750,000 students enrolled in the district. Today, the enrollment is just over 400,000 students.

Here is the Los Angeles bastion of liberalism! Come on, progressives, where is the outrage? Speak up for the poor, struggling students. This strike disproportionately hit poor Hispanic students. Seven out of ten LAUSD students are Hispanics living in poverty. And in California, 40% of the population is Hispanic. For that matter, this city or this state has no future if Hispanics don’t get an education.

Thanks for reading

Job Sanchez
Political Science Lecturer at LACCD