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Los Angeles teachers have much to cheer about. Less than a month after the district鈥檚 school support workers received a contract with 30% salary increases, United Teachers Los Angeles came away with a mammoth deal of its own.

On April 13, the district made what it called a 鈥渉istoric offer鈥� of 19% in pay hikes over three years. The union promptly but five days later accepted what it called a 鈥溾�� agreement with increases of 21%.

By January 2025, it will bring the average Los Angeles teacher salary to an estimated .

The post-deal reactions from the district and the union were a contrast in styles.

鈥淧roud of what we can do with our labor partners when we negotiate in good faith and come to an agreement that serves our hardworking employees as well as our students and families,鈥� Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

Proud of what we can do with our labor partners when we negotiate in good faith and come to an agreement that serves our hardworking employees as well as our students and families. Onward.

— Alberto M. Carvalho (@LAUSDSup)

鈥淲hile Carvalho and the district spent the past year ignoring and undermining educators, students and parents, UTLA members fought for a fair contract that meets the urgent needs of today and builds a strong foundation for public schools,鈥� .

Carvalho is sanguine about the district鈥檚 ability to bankroll these deals. 鈥淭he state has provided two back-to-back, very solid budget years with a cost-of-living adjustment that allowed us to compose these offers,鈥� . Nevertheless, he made a trip to Sacramento earlier this month to lobby for more school funding.

It has been widely reported that the district has $5 billion in reserves, which, for a total budget of $14.2 billion, is excessive. Less widely reported is that half of the reserve . The district has yet to release data on the total cost of the new contracts.

Los Angeles also has 35,000 fewer students than it did two years ago, and the district forecasts . Since state funding is based on enrollment, that is going to make it difficult to sustain the district鈥檚 spending levels.

Carvalho may think he bought himself at least a year of labor peace, as the support employees’ contract expires in June 2024 and the teachers’ contract in June 2025. But the unions don鈥檛 seem eager to beat their swords into plowshares.

鈥淲e still have a long way to go,鈥� . 鈥淭his is the foundation.鈥�

鈥淲e have maximum power right now, and it’s going to keep evolving from this point on even further,鈥� said teachers union Secretary Arlene Inouye.

So did Carvalho get 鈥渟chooled鈥� by the unions, , or 鈥� to further the metaphor 鈥� is he planning to 鈥済raduate鈥�?

Carvalho is flashy and at ease in front of the camera. He has often been , and if he has any aspirations in California, he must at least hold the public employees unions at bay. It wouldn鈥檛 surprise me at all if Carvalho is somewhere else when the district鈥檚 bills come due.

The implications for Los Angeles are only part of the picture, since other teachers unions may now see the last few months as a model to follow.

is currently holding a strike vote, which would be an 鈥渦nfair labor practices鈥� walkout similar to the one that shuttered Los Angeles schools for three days last month. The state labor board has still yet to determine whether that strike was legal, and a faction with the Oakland union is planning a wildcat strike if the authorization vote fails.

Intentionally or not, Carvalho and the Los Angeles school board have reset the market for public school employees. But if the enrollment figures are any indication, parents will continue to take their business elsewhere.

Mike Antonucci鈥檚 Union Report appears most Wednesdays; see the full archive.

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