Los Angeles, CA—The Los Angeles Unified School District has announced that all LAUSD schools will remain closed on Friday, Jan. 10, following pressure from Teamsters Local 2010/AALA, Teamsters Local 572 and other LAUSD unions. On Wednesday the combined LAUSD unions, representing more than 78,000 district employees, demanded that Superintendent Carvalho close all LAUSD schools for the remainder of the week to protect students and employees. When the district announced only a one-day closure late Wednesday afternoon, Teamsters and other unions kept up the pressure the district agreed to a full two-day closure.
The union coalition that secured this critical two-day closure includes United Teachers Los Angeles, representing 35,000 educators; SEIU Local 99, representing 30,000 food service workers, custodians, teacher assistants, bus drivers and other essential LAUSD workers; CSEA LA Chapter 500, representing classified employees; Teamsters Local 572, representing administrative assistants and supervisors; and Teamsters Local 2010/AALA, representing 3,000 principals, administrators, and classified managers. The unions’ letter demanded that district leadership protect the health and safety of all district employees and students by closing all LAUSD schools beginning tomorrow.
Students and employees have been heavily impacted by the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Sunset fires currently blazing around Los Angeles. Despite ongoing evacuations and dangerous air quality levels, LAUSD leadership closed only 10% of schools on Wednesday morning, endangering thousands of students and employees exposed to fire, smoke, and other threatening conditions.