Teaching Assistants Plan ‘Rolling’ Strike Today
Teaching assistants in the Los Angeles Unified School District announced Tuesday that they will begin a “rolling” strike today that will involve up to 100 schools daily until their demands for job security and health benefits are met.
About 10,000 teaching assistants, 70% of whom are bilingual Latinas, won union representation in January and have since been trying to reach an agreement with the district. They can be hired and fired at will and do not receive sick pay, vacations or medical coverage.
Officials of Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union have targeted schools in Pacoima, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Arleta, Sun Valley and Central Los Angeles for today’s job action. Many of the schools have a high number of Latino students who are not proficient in English and few teachers who speak Spanish.
“The district isn’t moving far enough or fast enough,” said John Tanner, staff director for Local 99.
School officials maintain that budget difficulties limit their flexibility in meeting the demands.
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