Los Angeles Unified narrowly avoids strike that would have impacted 400,000 students

LocalPolitics
14 Apr 2026 • 10:11 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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Los Angeles Unified narrowly avoids strike that would have impacted 400,000 students

Los Angeles schools averted a strike that would have impacted nearly 400,000 students in Southern California, as the school district and its support staff union reached a tentative deal early Tuesday.

Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union announced on social media that it had secured a tentative agreement with "major gains," including raises and more hours.

The district confirmed an agreement in principle, allowing schools to open on Tuesday while details were finalized.

The tentative deal also included protections against subcontracting, halted IT layoffs, and increased staffing, SEIU Local 99 said.

Los Angeles Schools Federal Raid (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Members were instructed to report to work as usual, with the union thanking fellow organizations and the Los Angeles community for the "victory."

Teachers, principals, and staff had been prepared to walk out if the deal was not reached. Unions representing teachers and principals had already secured tentative contract agreements with the nation’s second-largest school district over the weekend.

The three unions, representing some 70,000 workers across the Los Angeles Unified School District, had pledged a unified strike if any single group failed to reach an agreement.

While they have never struck simultaneously, a 2023 walkout by Local 99 workers, joined by teachers for three days, saw only about 150 of the district's 1,000 schools remain open.

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