Day 3 on the Picket Line

Day 3 on the picket line filled with striking teachers and school service workers in the Los Angeles Harbor, the strike has been solid. From 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. over the past three days, there have been actions at hundreds of campuses in the school district, regional actions at LAUSD district offices, and rallies in downtown Los Angeles numbering in the tens of thousands. Parents, students, and other unionists have been supportive.

Harry Bridges Middle School teacher, Phyllis Hoffman, is also the UTLA director and area chair of the Los AngelesHarbor. She described the Wilmington picketers as, “hanging in there.” 

“We’re fighting the good fight for our SEIU local 99 employees who only make a salary of about $25,000 a year,” Hoffman said. “As teachers, we’re out here to support the dozens of SEIU members here at Bridges.”

Hoffman noted that the service workers clean the school, and prepare breakfast, lunch, and snacks. 

“They are our teacher assistants so they help our special education assistants who have dedicated themselves to helping our most needy students with learning difficulties,” Hoffman said. “They are playground supervisors and bus drivers to get the kids to school every day.  they are also parents in our community.”

Though Mayor Karen Bass has entered the fray, acting as a facilitator between the SEIU and the school district, there has been little progress in the negotiations. Hoffman is hopeful there will soon be a settlement. 

Hoffman reported that the strike has been getting wide support from the labor community in the Los Angeles Harbor, including the ILWU Local 13, LA College Faculty Association, IAM,  AFSCME, IATSE, IBEW, and all the unions in the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.