Striking workers score 30% pay hike in new deal with L.A. school district

Driving the news: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass facilitated negotiations between the school district and Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union after contract discussions stalled earlier this week.

• The union was seeking a 30% pay raise overall for its members, plus an extra $2 per hour "equity wage adjustment for all."
• The tentative deal includes a $2 per hour raise for all employees, effective Jan. 1, 2024, and brings the district's minimum wage to $22.52 an hour, according to a news release from the school district.

Catch up quick: Members of SEIU Local 99, which represents 30,000 school workers across the district, were striking for higher wages and better working conditions.

• LAUSD closed hundreds of schools from Tuesday to Thursday while workers held a strike.

What they're saying: "This agreement addresses historic pay inequities, creatives a massive expansion of healthcare benefits for part-time employees, invests considerable resources into professional development for the workforce," the school district said.

• The union, meanwhile, expressed strong support for the new deal. "The agreement addresses our key demands and sets us on a clear pathway to improving our livelihoods and securing the staffing we need to improve student services," SEIU Local 99 said in a statement Friday evening.
• "It was our members’ dedication to winning respect from the District that made this agreement possible," the union added.

Go deeper: Families scramble as union strike shutters hundreds of L.A. schools