LAUSD, UTLA reach tentative labor a agreement with salary increases

By City News Service

The Los Angeles Unified School District and the union representing its teachers announced Tuesday they have reached a tentative labor agreement that includes a 21% salary increase and reductions in class sizes.

"With this tentative agreement, LAUSD now has an opportunity to become one of the most successful school districts in the country," United Teachers

Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz said in a statement. "We held the line during bargaining on a number of initiatives because educators are the experts on what has the ability to transform LAUSD into a more equitable environment that not only improves students' learning, but also the quality of life for L.A. families.

"Smaller class sizes will give our kids the attention and care they require, and competitive salaries will ensure our schools can successfully hire, retain and develop successful teachers and educators to mold our young leaders of tomorrow."

The district issued a statement saying the agreement "significantly increases salaries for teachers across the district."

"This agreement also focuses on instruction by reducing class sizes and increasing mental health and counseling services in order to better support the needs of students," according to the district. "In keeping with the priorities in Los Angeles Unified's Strategic Plan, the agreement with UTLA addresses years of pay inequity and inflation."

The tentative contract, covering 2022-25, still needs to be ratified by UTLA members and the LAUSD Board of Education.

The district's board on Tuesday approved a labor deal it reached late last month with the Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents service workers. That contract includes a roughly 30% salary increase for custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, special education assistants and others.

The SEIU union staged a three-day strike in late March, and the UTLA union honored the picket line, shutting down district schools. Reaching the agreement with UTLA eliminates the possibility of another potential work stoppage.

UTLA members had recently begun boycotting after-school faculty meetings in a sign of union solidarity, while also taking part in occasional school pickets.

According to the LAUSD, the tentative agreement includes a 21% wage hike, beginning with 3% effective July 1, 2022; 4% on Jan. 1, 2023; 3% on July 1, 2023; 4% on Jan. 1, 2024; 3% on July 1, 2024; and 4% on Jan. 1, 2025.

It also includes an additional $20,000 increase for nurses; $3,000 for psycholo- gists, psychiatric social workers, counselors and other "special services" providers; $2,500 for special education teachers; and $1,500 for early education teachers.

The district noted that the increases are on top of 5% hikes included in the 2021-22 district budget. UTLA negotiators had been pushing for a 20% across-the-board wage hike during their labor talks with the district.

The pact also calls for a class-size reduction of two students in all TK-12 classes,

$43B budget

Overall, the $43 billion budget proposal represents a $1.6 billion drop from the current year's budget, but it adds 514 new positions, bringing the overall county budgeted workforce to 114,106.

Specific recommendations for the use of those funds are expected to be presented to the Board of Supervisors this spring, and will be added to the final budget document, according to Davenport. The measures are part of the county's "Care First and Community Investment" effort to overhaul its criminal justice system.

The spending proposal includes $6.6 million and the addition of 24 non- sworn positions to establish an Office of Constitutional Policing in the sheriff's department, to "oversee and monitor consent decrees, deputy gang issues, audit and investigations, compliance, risk management and policy development."

It also includes nearly $50 million in ongoing funding for improved conditions and mental health services in the jails to meet terms of a settlement with federal prosecutors.

"The recommended budget -- the first step in the county's multi-phase budget process -- was developed against a backdrop of growing fiscal uncertainty, including a looming state budget deficit, a significant slowdown in local real estate transactions, and an unsettled economic environment in which recession remains a very real possibility," Davenport wrote in her budget-transmittal letter to the Board of Supervisors.

Her message highlighted a series of potentially significant impacts on the county's budget, most notably potential liabilities from childhood sexual assault claims, which have expanded thanks to a state law extending the statute of limitations for filing of such claims. The county was recently sued by 300 people who claim they were abused as youths by county probation and detention officers while they were detained at juvenile facilities. But Davenport noted the problem extends well beyond that.

"Early information estimates that the county's financial exposure ranges from $1.6 billion to more than $3 billion from more than 3,000 claims alleging childhood sexual assault at various county and noncounty facilities," she wrote in her letter to the board.

In a briefing Monday morning, Davenport said that level of potential liability from lawsuits and damage claims entering along with additional counselors at all high schools with 900 or more students.

"This agreement with UTLA is a necessary step not only to make Los Angeles Unified the district of choice for families but also the district of choice for teachers and employees," Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said in a statement. "I am grateful that we reached an agreement with UTLA in a manner that reflects the dedicated work of our employees, provides a better academic experience for our students and raises the standards of compensation in Los Angeles and across the country." a fiscal year is unprecedented. She said that while the exact amount of liability the county might face is unclear, officials are already exploring ways the costs might be covered.

Arlene Inouye, UTLA bargaining co-chair and secretary, added in a statement, "Educators have always put their livelihoods on the line to ensure student success, and this tentative agreement illustrates our hard-fought commitment to making our schools a place where both faculty and students can thrive."

"We have started looking preliminarily at ways how we would address any judgments or settlements," she said. "... Everything has to be on the table. Whether that means reducing funding for some of our departments, reducing the amount of contracts, looking at other ways to finance the debt, debt financing, even looking at our rainy day fund. ... We would try to resolve any liability ... in a way that has the least amount of impact to our safety net services as possible."

She also noted the need for an overhaul of county probation and juvenile facilities, along with possible high costs of conducting seismic retrofits on multiple county facilities. A recent report identified a host of county structures in need of earthquake safety improvements, including the Hall of Administration downtown.

Following the planned initial adoption of the budget by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, public hearings will begin May 10, with final budget deliberations beginning in June. Final budget approval is expected in October.