A union representing tens of thousands of Los Angeles school employees voted to approve a new contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The deal would increase wages by 30% for service workers like bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodians. The deal would also expand family health care benefits for those workers. The board of the Los Angeles School District also has to vote on the new deal.
This comes after last month's three-day strike, which shut down one of the nation's largest school systems.
The walkout was hosted by members of Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 30,000 of the lowest-paid school workers. Support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 a year in Los Angeles, which is barely enough to get by in one of the most expensive cities in America. Teachers had joined picket lines in solidarity.
Will public school teachers get a raise?
Research from the National Education Association shows the average teacher salary in 2021 was slightly over $40,000 a year.
