Why 60,000 Education Workers Walked Off the Job In Los Angeles

Los Angeles, Calif.—On March 21, the 25,000 custodians, cafeteria workers, campus aides, bus drivers, teaching assistants, special education aides, building and grounds workers who are members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99, walked off the job in a three-day unfair labor practices strike against their employer, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The decision by 35,000 mostly teacher colleagues—myself among them, members of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA)—to refuse to cross SEIU’s picket line led a total of 60,000 workers across two unions to go on...