United Teachers Los Angeles, SEIU Local 99 and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles said Wednesday they plan to walk off the job if they do not reach a new contract agreement with the district.
"Today, we take another step towards a strike by announcing the cancelation of our contract with LAUSD," said Max Arias of SEIU Local 99. "That means we ended no strike clause in the contract and prepared to take action."
Union leaders said negotiations remain underway and stressed that a strike is not guaranteed. Still, they criticized what they described as years of delays at the bargaining table.
"A strike is the last resort, but after two years of LAUSD stalling, our members are ready, and I know they're ready, and I know teachers are ready, and I know principals are ready this time as well," Arias said.
LA County Federation of Labor President Yvonne Wheeler said support among union members was strong.
"In a powerful and unanimous strike sanction vote here at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, UTLA and SEIU Local 99 members made one thing clear - enough is enough," she said.
Pay and staffing remain at the center of the dispute. Union officials are seeking roughly a 17% raise over two years, along with smaller class sizes and no layoffs. They argue that many educators can no longer afford to live in Los Angeles.
"We don't want to go on strike, we want to just resolve this contract and get what's fair for our students and the members of our union," said Julie Van Winkle of United Teachers Los Angeles.
The district has offered about an 8% raise plus a bonus and said it has proposed reducing class sizes. Administrators warn that a larger deal could strain the budget in the long term.
Teachers argue the district has not seriously engaged with their proposals.
"Teachers and school staff have been trying to reach a fair agreement with Los Angeles Unified School District that keeps us in the classroom with our students and provides more resources and support for our schools ... instead, they have continuously rejected ignored or made no movement on solutions to the issues we're raising," said teacher Emily Reyes.
Negotiations are expected to continue in the days leading up to April 14.