With a large majority of members casting ballots and more than 85% of those voting saying yes, the 3,000 workers of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) voted Dec. 9-12 to affiliate with Teamsters Local 2010, growing our Union to a total of nearly 23,000 workers! The vote is a testament to the strength of our Union and the powerful contracts we win through standing together.
AALA is a 43-year-old Union made up of principals, assistant principals, adult school and ROP/ROC center coordinators, Early Education Center principals, classified managers and school support administrators employed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
“This affiliation furthers our mission to build Local 2010 into a powerhouse for workers’ rights and fair wages in California education,” said Local 2010 Secretary-Treasurer Jason Rabinowitz. “Joining forces with the 3,000 hard-working school administrators of AALA makes Local 2010 stronger and makes our new sisters and brothers stronger, too. By overwhelmingly voting to join Teamsters, AALA recognizes that being part of America’s strongest Union will help build the power needed to win fair contracts, respect on the job, and a reasonable workload at LAUSD. Local 2010 is proud to be one of the fastest growing and most effective Unions in the nation!”
Maria Nichols, the President of AALA who took office in June, committed to her membership that from Day 1 she would determine the root causes of their increased workloads and extended working hours—and find solutions. The solution Nichols thought would be the most effective, with contract negotiations with LAUSD coming up in January 2025, was to increase the power of the organization through affiliation.
“Students cannot make significant gains when school site leaders are pummeled with time sensitive tasks taking time away from achieving our instructional goals,” Nichols said. “We cannot blame any administrator for wanting change when having to work after hours or on weekends goes uncompensated.”
Julio Melara, Assistant Principal, supports joining Teamsters 2010: “The time has come to ensure the district negotiates with us in good faith and in equal terms and proves that ‘investing in staff’ resonates true. And in the spirit of equity, collaboration, and excellence, they value us and our innumerable contributions to the second largest district in the nation.”
Nichols said that AALA members are entering an exciting time “and the affiliation means that we will have leverage, power, knowledge, and a partner with a proven track record. We are hopeful and optimistic that we will get the results we need as we demand to bring back balance to work and family by addressing workload and 60-hour weeks in order to improve working conditions.”
Upon affiliation, the new AALA members will immediately be entitled to all of the resources and services available from Local 2010, Joint Councils 42 and 7, and the International Union.
AALA Teamsters will also be eligible for benefits such as Teamsters-paid Life with Dues insurance policy; Teamsters Scholarship programs; Teamsters charities and hardship grants; a union sponsored, retiree medical insurance; term life insurance; accident insurance; car insurance; supplemental life insurance; and many other valuable discounts.
Since principals and administrators are unionized at only a small number of school districts in California, Rabinowitz also hopes that the affiliation with AALA opens the door to Local 2010 organizing these workers at other school districts in California.
You can learn more about our new sisters and brothers by checking out the AALA website here,