Locksmiths in L.A. Schools

I am a locksmith for the Los Angeles Unified School District and feel it’s time to defend the locksmith profession and the realities within the school district.

All locksmiths are required to work 8 hours a day, 260 days a year, for a salary of $31,532 or $15.16 per hour; teacher’s are required to work 6 hours a day, 180 days a year, for a salary ranging from $20,600 to $35,500 or, in laymen’s terms, $19 to $32 an hour, depending on schooling and years of service.

Locksmiths are not afforded the luxury of Christmas and Easter vacations, sabbatical leaves, teacher’s aides, substitutes or step increases, as implied. Most school locksmiths, too, have 3 to 4 years of apprenticeship followed by 10 to 15 years in the profession. In addition, locksmiths are required to provide their own insured vehicles, and their own tools (most of which are not insured by the district).

There are 30 locksmiths within the entire school district, a system that incorporates at least 900 work locations, 30,000 teachers, more than 700,000 pupils, and innumerable locks, keys, and related hardware.

Reckless statements, like those presented by Lance Oishi (Letters, Feb. 8) and others, including United Teachers of Los Angeles President Wayne Johnson, serve little more than political ends. The real winner in this situation is the still silent school district administration, who, with Johnson’s help, have split the ranks without providing a judicious settlement to either the teachers or the entire maintenance branch.

I’ve been raised under the concept that rewards are based on merit, that one does not advance one’s self by pulling another down. Wayne Johnson should take note of the aforementioned and brush up on his mathematics as well.

DENNIS BARNEY

Burbank