LAUSD Strike Shuts Down Schools for Over Half a Million Students.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) strike began on Tuesday after last-minute negotiations failed to reach an agreement with the union representing thousands of its employees. The strike includes as many as 60,000 employees of the school district who are members of both the Local 99 of Service Employees International Union and United Teachers Los Angeles. The unions represent both educators and school district employees, including bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and teaching aids. The Local 99 union is demanding a 30% wage increase plus a $2 per hour additional raise for the lowest-paid workers. The strike is expected to affect more than 500,000 students, leaving many parents scrambling to make arrangements for their children.