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Classes were canceled for nearly half a million students across Los Angeles on Tuesday after education support staff launched a three-day strike backed by a teachers’ union that refused to cross their picket line.
Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents school bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and classroom assistants, formed picket lines and marched outside of school buildings across the Los Angeles Unified School District on Tuesday morning, demanding higher wages and smaller classroom sizes.
The superintendent of the second largest school district in the United States acknowledged workers had been underpaid for years and said he was committed to reaching a deal.
“We love our students, and we’re here for the students. But if we can’t properly take care of our kids, how can we properly come here and work as well?” Lynneier Boyd-Peterson, a striking bus driver, told KTLA 5 television news.
She was one of the striking workers who marched in pouring rain under umbrellas early on Tuesday carrying “Respect Us!” signs at a school bus yard, local media reported.
