L.A.’s School Workers Deserve More — and the City’s 420,000 Students Deserve Better
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No worker in the United States should endure inadequate wages that push them into poverty, be deprived of access to healthcare, or face homelessness. Furthermore, no child should suffer due to labor disputes. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening in Los Angeles, and it is tempting to take sides as we witness the tensions between the SEIU and LAUSD unfold.
However, it is not about choosing sides. What we have is a labor issue that needs resolution and an education disruption that must be avoided at all costs. This disruption includes the closure of schools, which would impact the education of 420,000 students.
Families across the district desperately need the adults involved to gather in a room and reach a resolution. This is crucial so that their children can attend school and continue their learning.
For many families, the urgency is far greater than we can comprehend. These are families whose children were already struggling before the pandemic, and now they are even further behind due to school closures. Many of these parents are LAUSD/SEIU employees themselves and will face difficulties in finding and affording childcare or sacrificing their income to stay home with their children.
Our families desire fair and respectful treatment for LAUSD employees. They seek a favorable contract that provides a livable wage. Additionally, they expect genuine negotiations, which includes the SEIU returning to the bargaining table to hear what additional proposals LAUSD can offer. Continuously negotiating until a resolution is achieved is crucial.
Above all, our families want schools that fulfill the promise of a quality education. They want their children to develop vital skills such as reading and critical thinking, to have the opportunity for higher education if they wish, and to be prepared for success and well-being in life.
It is a desperate hope to witness more progress from a system that has denied too many children, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, English learners, foster children, those with special needs, and children of color, the chance to pursue their dreams and aspirations.
Closing schools will never fulfill this dream. That option should never even be considered. Instead, we must work together to eradicate poverty wages. It begins by immediately resuming negotiations and holding each other accountable for delivering on our promise to students.
Our families expect nothing less, and our students deserve better.
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