By Sarahmae Espinosa: Co-Technology Editor
Earlier this month, the teachers all over Los Angeles went on strike against the school district. The strike lasted for 6 days, but the students of Carson complex were excused from their absences until an agreement had been made between the district and the teachers.
CHS junior, Eddicka Norsworthy, who went on strike with the her fellow LAUSD peers, said, “I was happy to be apart of the strike, [which was very] much needed for the teachers and students… [But] there may have been more changes if the strike was longer because [the district] would’ve lost a lot more money… ¨
Although Norsworthy believes more could have been accomplished in the deal in favor of the teachers, the six days that both the teachers and students didn’t go to school was enough to have given the district a loss of 156 million dollars. However, the teachers, too, had a loss in money, since they were not paid for the days of the strike if they were not teaching in their classrooms. If the strike had gone on for longer, the losses would definitely be greater, and perhaps the agreement that was made wouldn’t have been as great a deal.
Andrea Valdez, Academy of Medical Arts senior, another student who went on strike stated, “The union did make accommodations and adjustments based off of their initial demands, and of course they couldn’t get everything they wanted all at once. It is a work in progress and they are one step closer towards achieving their goals for us students and our schools.”
Valdez was one of the students who provided food for Carson High School´s teachers, and she continued to say, “Of course I [wish] that the circumstances in which the union joined was on better conditions, however, being able to go to UTLA and to be one of the 60,000 supporters of the teachers and UTLA was truly an experience I will never forget. It was really important to me to have the chance to be able to stand by my teachers and to also help in any way possible throughout the strike… Some of the teachers I spoke to were not directly affected by some of the terms that wished to be improved in the contract, but they stood in solidarity with their fellow teachers in their concerns, which showed me strength within their union. I was hopeful that the teachers would succeed.”
Teachers don’t get all the praise they deserve, and many students believe teachers deserve more. They are hardly given credit for helping the youth to eventually succeed in life and producing future leaders. The strike wasn’t an event to skip school; it was an opportunity for our teachers to have a voice and for the district to better the schools in L.A. Although the teachers and supporters on strike were fighting for their students out in the rain, the strike was worth it.
Valdez concluded with, “My final thoughts on the strike is an ultimate thank you to each and every teacher who fought for their students. Because of our teachers, our educational setting will improve, even if it’s in the slightest.”
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