Strike Averted as School Bus Drivers, Los Angeles Reach Tentative Deal

April 14, 2026

A second major school bus driver strike nearly occurred in a span of a few weeks, before a local union and the nation’s second largest school district agreed to a tentative deal to provide employees with a large wage increase and protections against subcontracting.

School bus drivers also are assured of an eight-hour day as a permanent part of the labor contract.

LAUSD school bus drivers walked off the job for three days in 2023 in protest of what Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99 deemed unfair practices. The union and school district entered new negotiations in April 2024. On Dec. 16 of last year, SEIU Local 99’s bargaining team declared an impasse. The California Public Employment Relations Board was brought in to help reach an agreement. In February, SEIU said an 97 percent of union members voted to authorize a strike, again citing unfair practices.

SEIU Local 99 represents 50,000 workers including school bus drivers and special educational assistants at LAUSD, as well as six other local school districts and several charter schools. Its bargaining team issued a deadline of Tuesday morning for a deal to be reached. SEIU and the teacher’s union had threatened school closures if a deal was not reached. LAUSD confirmed classes were held Tuesday as normal.

The union said in a statement that LAUSD agreed on a 24-percent wage increase over three years including a 12-percent increase in retroactive pay. Unit C workers, classified as transportation, facilities and food service staff, won an increase in uniform and footwear allowances.

Politicians Urged School District to Avoid Strike

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously March 27 to urge LAUSD to return to the bargaining table and avert a strike after the school district reached agreements with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) representing principals. UTLA and AALA had vowed to support SEU Local 99 by joining classified employees on the picket line, effectively shutting down school. Dozens of Democratic members of the California Legislature backed the union in a letter last week to LAUSD.