Tentative contract deal for L.A. teachers would raise salaries by 21%

A tentative new contract agreement would increase salaries for tens of thousands of Los Angeles public school teachers by 21% over the next three years, the district's largest union announced this week.

United Teachers Los Angeles — the main union representing educators within the Los Angeles public school system, which includes 35,000 members — reached a deal with the Los Angeles Unified School District early Tuesday morning, after extensive bargaining and a massive strike last month. 

Teachers represented by the union joined SEIU Local 99, another huge union representing public school support staff in Los Angeles, for a strike that lasted three days in March, effectively closing down a school system that serves roughly 420,000 students. It followed failed negotiations between the latter union and the school district, and came just a few years after a six-day strike by Los Angeles teachers in 2019.

Gina Gray, a high school English teacher within the L.A. Unified School District who was one of the union members directly involved in negotiations, told CBS Los Angeles that Tuesday's tentative agreement "laid the groundwork" for their upcoming contract.

"I'm excited and exhausted," said Gray in comments to the news station. "We say it's the ground, not the ceiling. So we laid the groundwork to build upon for our next contract."

The tentative agreement reached this week "goes well beyond the scope of traditional bargaining and makes significant progress for educators and students," said United Teachers Los Angeles in a statement. All members of the union need to vote on the prospective contract, which would then be ratified by the school board, in order for it to actually take effect.

If approved, the new contract would mean substantial wage increases for every member of United Teachers Los Angeles. Terms of the agreement stipulate that the overall 21% hike is given out in increments over the course of three years, with the designated timeline running between July 2022 and January 2025. According to the union, the tentative breakdown requires that all members receive two salary increases — of 3% and 4% — each year. 

Retroactive pay increases would also be implemented for the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023. Some employees, like nurses, counselors and teachers who work in special, career, technical and early childhood education, would receive additional salary boosts. 

Pay increases laid out in the union's new contract deal would raise teacher salaries to about $106,000 per year on average, the Los Angeles Times reported, with individual salaries ranging from around $69,000 to $122,000 annually.

Higher salaries are not the only component of the new union contract, which also calls for a phased reduction in class sizes by an average of two students per class. Because the current academic year is almost over, United Teachers Los Angeles acknowledged that "it is not realistic to expect a district-wide reduction" in time for the 2024-2025 school year "simply because of a lack of time to hire." Instead, a gradual reduction in class sizes would be implemented over the next three years.

The union highlighted several other big wins for Los Angeles public school employees and students that could come to fruition under the new contract, like increasing housing support for low-income families and students experiencing homelessness, creating curriculums that teach climate change through a racial justice lens to address historic disparities, and bolstering programs for Black students.

"This contract recognizes the essential work of those who work hard to ensure students can learn in a clean, safe, and supportive environment," said Max Arias, the executive director of SEIU Local 99, in a statement to CBS Los Angeles. "It is a major step forward with significant improvements to wages, work hours, and benefits for dedicated education workers who have been left behind for far too long. It will also lead to long-term benefits for student services as improved jobs will allow the district to recruit and retain more workers to help feed students, transport them to school, support them in the classroom, and keep school clean."

CBS News contacted United Teachers Los Angeles for more information about the agreement but did not receive an immediate response.

In:
• Los Angeles
• California
• Education
• Teacher Strike

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