SEIU strike averted as LAUSD makes tentative agreements with unions

Linus Bossardt and Silas Hinkle • April 14, 2026

A member of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) holds up a sign for passing cars at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Local District North West rally Nov. 6. LAUSD employees and families protested to hold the district accountable for refusing to meet UTLA’s contract demands for fair salary raises and additional resources and support for LAUSD employees, students and schools.

Preparations for a three-union strike and school shutdown were called off early this morning following a lengthy negotiation process between Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99 and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

“It kind of makes it seem like (LAUSD was) a little bit scared of the teachers going out and striking,” junior Victoria Lopez said. “I think (the resolution) is better, you know, if they get what they need and not just, like, a tiny bit. It needs to be the whole thing that they want.”

At 2 a.m., LAUSD and SEIU announced that they had reached a tentative labor agreement, finishing off three individual resolutions to prevent a strike. In the agreement, SEIU members are promised a 24% wage increase over 3 years, stronger protections against subcontracting and protected IT technicians from layoffs, among other fulfilled demands. In addition, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) received increased salary scales for union members by 11.65%, four weeks of paid parental leave and a change of the beginning teacher salary to $77,000 a year and Associated Administrators of Los Angeles/Teamsters Local 2010 (AALA) received an 11.65% salary increase over two years with a reopener for a third year and a clearly defined 8-hour workday.

“Because living has got so expensive, a raise would definitely help out the tenured teachers,” math teacher Tuan “Duke” Huynh said. “But it also helps to attract new teachers. A lot of new teachers are not making enough money.”

While the resolutions are beneficial to the unions and keep schools open this week, some students were let down by the last-minute decision.

“I’m very disappointed,” junior Ryan Killian said. “I wanted to use that day for free time and as an opportunity to relax from school.”

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About the Contributors

Linus Bossardt, Managing Editor

Linus Bossardt is this year’s Managing Editor for The Pearl Post. Excited for his second year on staff, he plans to produce works that focus on the details of the ordinary. Outside of journalism and photography, Linus enjoys playing guitar and keyboard, singing, programming, graphic design, martial arts, volunteering and creating tabletop games. He is officially certified in Adobe Photoshop.

Silas Hinkle, Staff Writer

Silas Hinkle is a sophomore and in his first year on the DPMHS Student Media staff. One goal he has for the year is to improve on writing stories and doing interviews. Outside of school, he enjoys playing guitar, listening to music and watching movies.

Jenny Marquez, Print Editor-in-Chief

Jenny Marquez is this year’s Print Editor-in-Chief for The Pearl Post. This is her third and final year on the DPMHS Student Media staff, and she’s thrilled to lead an incredible team. At school, she serves as a co-host for the publication’s student-run podcast, Room 22 and is the Vice President of the Class of 2026, as well as the ASB Secretary. Additionally, she has serves on the Los Angeles Times High School Insider Advisory Board, the LAUSD Board District 3 Student Advisory Council and MediaWise’s Teen Fact-Checking Network. This year, she hopes to produce five printed magazines and strengthen her multimedia journalism skills.