Los Angeles schools close for students amid support staff strike

In USA, about 30,000 education workers backed by the teachers' union began a three-day strike in Los Angeles on Tuesday, canceling school for nearly half a million students at the second-largest school district. Thousands of protesters gathered in the rain outside the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters for a rally, vowing to picket for the next two days. Many of their members, including school bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and classroom assistants are members of the Service Employees International Union Local 99, which seeks to increase what it calls poverty wages of 25,000 dollars per year. 

The service workers are backed by the 35,000 members of the teachers' union United Teachers Los Angeles, which refused to cross their picket line. The work stoppage is the latest in a series of job actions by educators across the U.S. who have complained of burnout and low wages, leading to a teacher shortage in many parts of the country. The strike has disrupted classes for 420,000 students, many of whom also depend on schools for meals, counseling and other social services. The city opened dozens of meal and safe-place sites on Tuesday for students. The union, which said 96% of its membership had authorized the strike, is demanding a 30% salary increase plus an additional $2 per hour for the lowest-paid workers.