LOS ANGELES (KERO) — Nearly half a million students in Los Angeles are expected to return to the classroom after a three-day-long strike from school workers.
A union representing the school employees and the Los Angeles Unified School District failed to reach an agreement during the demonstrations.
30,000 workers, including teachers, bus drivers, and custodians, walked off the job to strike for higher pay and better working conditions on Tues, March 21. The protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations across the country where school workers complained of burnout and low wages.
Taking a deeper look into the matter, union members argued the current average salary is about $25,000 a year. According to the California Department of Education, however, beginning wages for teachers of small unified districts with less than 1,500 students are listed at over $46,000 for the 2020 to 2021 school year, while large unified districts that teach over 20,000 students offered an average salary of just over $51,000 for California.
According to the state Department of Education, the average salary of public school teachers from 2020 to 2021 was just under $86,000.