Los Angeles Schools Shut Down for 3-Day Strike Over Equitable Wages and More

Schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District will be closed for three days as support staff, including teacher's aides, special education assistants, bus drivers, custodians, and cafeteria workers, begin a strike demanding better wages and increased staffing. The strike is expected to last through Thursday, and the local teachers' union will also honor the strike. Negotiations between the district and the Service Employees International Union Local 99 broke down last week, and the union accused the district of leaking a confidential mediation meeting to the press. The district has offered a 23% pay increase and a 3% "cash in hand bonus."