L.A. Teachers Union Presses for 20% Raise, Smaller Classes and Less Testing as District Counters With 8%

United Teachers Los Angeles is pushing for a 20% raise over two years, smaller classes and a sharp cut in standardized testing, setting up a major test for the nation's second-largest school district and Supt. Alberto Carvalho. The district is still grappling with deep pandemic-era learning losses and growing student mental health needs.

The union staged three simultaneous rallies across the sprawling system on Monday. Members say heavy workloads, high living costs and expensive Los Angeles housing are straining the profession and feeding teacher shortages in California and nationwide. At the rally outside district headquarters just west of downtown, union President Cecily Myart-Cruz said, "When you can't even afford to live when you work, we got a problem y'all." She said the district has had seven months to address the educator shortage and ensure every student has a teacher, nurse, counselor, librarian and mental health support.

A first-year teacher's base salary starts at $48,916, and a teacher with 10 years of experience has a base of $61,557. Salary credits for a doctorate, bilingual skills or professional development courses can push a 10-year teacher's pay as high as $98,176. Neither the union nor the district could immediately give the average or median teacher salary. The union has argued that L.A. Unified sits in the bottom quartile of L.A. County districts for teacher compensation, though its members also receive health benefits considered high quality at comparatively low cost.

Rally participants pointed to the district's record multibillion-dollar reserves, arguing that if raises are not possible now, they never will be. The district, in a statement, said it meets regularly with labor partners, respects its employees and acknowledges the need to pay them fairly, and wants to avoid protracted negotiations. According to bargaining updates the union posts online, the district has so far offered 8%.

Carvalho has emphasized the risks ahead. Forecasters, including the state legislative analyst, warn of a downturn just as one-time COVID-19 relief funds wind down, and enrollment continues to fall. At Tuesday's board meeting, he said it would be irresponsible and unfair to authorize a raise the district can afford today only to face layoffs and disrupted instruction later.

Cost of living was a recurring theme. Nekhoe Hogan, a third-year teacher at Manual Arts High School, said teachers "do not make enough money to live in the city at all." She added that she feels pressure to make up two years of education within a semester, which she called impossible. A recent study found that buying a home in Los Angeles requires an annual income above $220,000, while the city's median household income in 2020 was just over $65,000.

The union's "Beyond Recovery" platform goes beyond pay. It seeks to eliminate or sharply reduce standardized tests not required by the state or federal government, a cut of four students in every class over two years, a freeze on school closures, and an end to the "over-policing and criminalization of students." The district prefers to target class-size reductions based on academic performance and the share of low-income families. Carvalho has acknowledged the tests are not always consistently run but defends their purpose in guiding instruction. Both sides back a full-time nurse at every school, expanded dual-language programs and more ethnic studies, though the district has struggled to hire nurses.

Some parents worry about further disruption; the last contract was settled only after a one-week strike in January 2019. Christie Pesicka, spokesperson for a parents group critical of the union, said families "are tired of the politics and endless chaos." Separately, Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, representing bus drivers, aides, custodians and cafeteria workers who earn about $25,000 a year on average, has scheduled its own rally next week.

The California Teachers Association's Frank Wells noted that 2022 has been relatively calm for K-12 labor in the state, with many districts settling early. Covina-Valley Unified teachers came within hours of striking last week before reaching a tentative agreement, and Glendale's union and district are in mediation. Meanwhile, 48,000 University of California academic workers are in the fourth week of a strike.