Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Votes Unanimously to Sanction Strike by LAUSD Teachers and Education Workers

With looming strike deadline of April 14, SEIU Local 99 announces cancellation of contract

Los Angeles – At a press conference on Wednesday, April 1st, 2026, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, which represents over 800,000 union members across more than 300 affiliated unions, announced its unanimous approval of a strike sanction requested by United Teachers Los Angeles and SEIU Local 99. 

“Educators and school staff are essential to the well-being and success of our children. No technology can replace the care, relationships, and support that educators provide every single day. Students succeed because of people—not programs,” said Yvonne Wheeler, President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. “The entire labor movement across Los Angeles County stands with UTLA and SEIU Local 99. This is about building stronger schools, stronger communities, and a stronger future for our children. We are united in demanding that workers—and the next generation—are treated with dignity and respect. We are sending a clear and unmistakable message: we are united, and we will not back down until LAUSD negotiates a fair and just contract,” said Wheeler. 

“For two years, SEIU Local 99 members have been in contract negotiations with LAUSD. For two years, the district has refused to offer wages that will lift essential school workers above the poverty line and refused to increase staffing levels to ensure clean, safe, and supportive schools for all students, even as the school district sits on $5 billion in reserves,” said Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99. “Instead, LAUSD has responded with retaliation against workers, layoffs, and cutbacks for already understaffed schools. That is why food service workers, custodians, teacher assistants, bus drivers and thousands more voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. And today, we take another step toward a strike by announcing the cancellation of our contract with LAUSD. That means we end the no-strike clause in the contract and prepare to take action. A strike is the last resort. But after two years of LAUSD stalling, workers are ready to take bold action to improve their livelihoods and the student services they provide,” Arias said.

“LAUSD has continuously rejected, ignored, or made no movement on solutions to the issues we’re raising. This shouldn’t be the case when the district, in just the past few years, has promised $10 billion to private companies. And even with those contracts, they still started this school year sitting on $5.03 billion in reserves,” said Emily Reyes, a fifth-grade teacher on UTLA’s bargaining team. “Educators are hurting, and LAUSD is forcing our families and us to financially struggle. As a mother, over the years, I have had to choose between spending time with my daughter and spending additional time on courses after school or on the weekend to barely increase my pay. We shouldn’t have to make that choice. We need LAUSD to fix its current inequitable pay scale that disadvantages parents and caregivers. We need salaries that allow us to live and work in the neighborhoods where we teach.”

Maria Nichols, president of AALA/Teamsters Local 2010, the Union of LAUSD principals and administrators currently taking a strike authorization vote to potentially join strike lines for the first time ever, said her members are burned out and frustrated by the district’s lack of respect and professional treatment.

 “My immigrant mother from Lima, Peru, taught me one thing: every person, every human being matters,” Nichols said. “What I care about and why I stand here united with my brothers and sisters, with UTLA and all the school workers, is that my members are working 60-hour weeks, they’re understaffed, and they have to decide if they can go home at 7:00 p.m. and see their own children. We need a fair and equitable salary that justifies the workload that we have when our workload has quadrupled in the past two years because of all the district’s initiatives.”

A strike sanction formally signals that affiliated local unions will officially support the action by respecting picket lines, participating in rallies, and supporting strikers. It sends a message that workers from all industries across Los Angeles are united and ready to take action if LAUSD refuses to invest in schools and the people who keep them running.  

Adan Alvarez, Communications Director for Teamsters Local 396, which represents UPS drivers and sanitation workers who service LAUSD, expressed full support for the education workers. 

“Teamsters Local 396 is proud to stand in solidarity with our union siblings at UTLA, SEIU 99, and AALA/Teamsters Local 2010 in their fight to win a fair contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Our members proudly serve LAUSD communities, picking up packages and collecting refuse, but we will always honor the strength of working people standing together. We do not cross picket lines, and we stand united in this fight for dignity, respect, and a fair contract,” said Alvarez. 

Although LAUSD has $5 billion in reserves, most workers struggle to cover their expenses and cannot afford the average one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles. 

“Every day, I help prepare breakfast and lunch for 600 to 700 students. I know my work makes a difference because students can’t focus on their studies if they are hungry. I love my job. I just wished it loved me back,” said Tinesha Wirt, a Food Service Worker at University High School. “Despite working for LAUSD for 12 years, I only take home about $1000 a month.  Each month, I have to decide whether to pay my gas bill or my car note. I’m ready to strike because this fight isn’t only for the numbers on our paycheck. It’s also about respect for the people who make schools run.”

“The district hasn’t offered us enough to settle the contract. We are hopeful that they will have a better offer for us today. The district has the money to settle it, but their priorities are upside down. We hope that – amid all the district chaos – the school board steps up and authorizes the necessary funds for UTLA and Local 99 to reach a settlement before having to go on strike, but we are prepared to go on strike if we need to,” said Julie Van Winkle, UTLA AFT Vice President and a UTLA bargaining chair.  

Should LAUSD not reach settlements with UTLA and SEIU Local 99, the two unions — along with AALA/Teamsters Local 2010, which is completing a strike authorization vote this week — have announced a strike date of Tuesday, April 14, 2026.