Negotiators for United Teachers Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District met Wednesday for a key bargaining session that could determine whether a planned strike moves forward Tuesday, though no outcome had been announced as of press time.
The talks were still ongoing Wednesday evening.
The session comes less than a week before a potential walkout that could involve tens of thousands of employees across the nation’s second-largest school district, including teachers, support staff and administrators.
The potential strike would mark the first time administrators have joined teachers and school staff in a coordinated walkout across LAUSD, aligning the district’s three largest labor groups.
Ahead of the session, leaders of United Teachers Los Angeles, which represents some 37,000 teachers, urged acting Superintendent Andres Chait to reach an agreement and avoid disruptions to classrooms, placing responsibility on the district’s current leadership.
“LAUSD has been in chaos for months, but right now the board has an opportunity to quiet the noise and present a clear path forward,” UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said in a written statement. “Acting Superintendent Chait has both the authority and the responsibility to bring much-needed stability to our schools by supporting educators, prioritizing students and families, and settling a fair contract now.”
She said the moment presents an opportunity for Chait to demonstrate that support.
“Unlike his predecessors, Chait can use this moment to show he stands with our school community by preventing classroom disruptions and ensuring students and educators are supported moving forward,” she added.
Responding to a media inquiry Wednesday, district officials said negotiations are continuing this week and that they are committed to reaching a deal, while also preparing contingency plans in the event of a strike.
“Avoiding a strike will require all parties to continue engaging in good-faith negotiations and working toward a solution that is fair and sustainable,” a district spokesperson said.
The district has reached agreements with five of its eight labor partners and is prepared to continue to bargain “around the clock,” the spokesperson said. The district met with UTLA, Associated Administrators of Los Angeles and trades representatives during spring break and reached an agreement with the Los Angeles/Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council.
Officials said contingency plans include take-home instruction materials, online learning options, continued access to meals and student support services, as well as plans to identify child supervision locations. The district said families would also have access to a hotline at (213) 443-1300 and regular updates via a daily webinar during a strike.
Meanwhile, SEIU Local 99, the union representing roughly 30,000 school support staff, including bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and special education assistants, confirmed it is scheduled to meet with the district for a meditation session Thursday.
“We are open to dialogue with the district and hope that LAUSD will come to the table with an offer that will lift essential school workers out of poverty and ensure that students have the full staffing and services they need,” Blanca Gallegos, a spokesperson for SEIU Local 99, said Wednesday.
Max Arias, the union’s executive director, echoed that message, adding that front line school workers “are facing an economic breaking point and have faced retaliation from the district for speaking out.”
LAUSD and the unions remained divided over wages, staffing and working conditions. UTLA has called for higher raises, smaller class sizes, more support staff and limits on subcontracting, among other demands, and has described its proposal as averaging about a 17% increase for members. It has also proposed raising starting teacher salaries by roughly 13% to about $77,670 as part of broader changes to the salary structure.
The district, in its latest offer as of April 1, has proposed a one-time bonus of about 3% this school year and phased raises totaling roughly 8%, including 4% on July 1 and 4% on Jan. 1, along with an additional 2% increase on Jan. 1, 2028, and says its proposal reflects financial constraints and remain among the most generous in the state.
District officials have said their proposals carry an ongoing cost of $480 million and include additional investments in student support services, such as counseling, as well as targeted funding for special education staffing and related programs. They have also said the district has offered to participate in an independent financial review of its budgets, which UTLA declined.
UTLA leaders, however, said recent proposals from the district have not addressed key priorities, and, in some cases, represented a step backwards in negotiations. They said the district withdrew earlier proposals related to class size reductions and special education funding and has not made sufficient progress on staffing, student support services and other classroom conditions.
Separately, SEIU Local 99, which represents school support staff, is also in negotiations with the district. LAUSD said it is offering a 13% wage increase over three years, while union leaders say the proposal falls short, arguing many workers earn about $35,000 a year and struggle to qualify for health benefits due to reduced hours.
Administrators and principals represented by Associated Administrators of Los Angeles/Teamsters Local 2010 are also negotiating with the district. The two sides met earlier this week, with the district offering a 10% salary increase over three years, while the union has pushed for higher, double-digit raises over a shorter timeline. Union leaders have also raised concerns about long work hours and job conditions, including workload and flexibility.
No additional details about Wednesday’s session were immediately available.