The El Camino campus dynamic has changed drastically, and that stems largely from the fact that the teachers, represented by UTLA chapter chair Carlos Monroy, are looking for changes in their contracts.
“The teachers initiated bargaining over a year ago, back in August of 2023,” English teacher Carlos Monroy said.
Because these contract bargains have been going on for so long, the El Camino teachers have begun to consider going on strike.
“Right now, we would consider these escalating actions,” Science teacher Daniel Zatarain said.
Teachers have been demanding contract changes due to the unfair pay gap between administrators and teachers.
“Administration is making sometimes 80% above the average of an administrator salary in LAUSD,” Monroy said. “A starting teacher here is making about 8% less than an LAUSD teacher.”
In the teachers’ desire to show the administration that their effectiveness as teachers extends beyond the classroom, teachers have begun to close their doors during non-working hours, disrupting students’ school dynamics.
“There’s no longer a space to just be able to relax in,” Junior Denise Azimi said. “There’s less of a space to communicate and form any kind of nice bonds with your teachers anymore.”
The El Camino teachers have been working on a fair contract for a long time, as seen in their representative actions of the union.
“On Wednesdays, we wear red…We wear these buttons that say ‘strike ready,’” Monroy said. “Back in March of this year, 96% of [the teachers] signed a public petition saying that if [we were] called to strike, we would engage in a work-stoppage.”
The fair wages of El Camino teachers have proven to be a profoundly relevant issue that will affect the well-being of the students.
“The biggest [goal] if we went on strike would obviously be to get a fair contract,” Zatarain said. “That way, students get the best possible school where they have teachers that want to be there that are being paid fairly and also are more likely to help them any way that they can.”
The escalating actions to exemplify teachers’ value beyond their paid hours have relevantly changed the way students and staff navigate the school day, and teachers are hoping to be able to have their demands met in order to resume their hard work.
“What we’re asking for is fairness,” Monroy said. “We care about the community, but it’s really disheartening to see our administration not return that level of care back to us.”
There is a lot of work going into organizing the negotiation process to make it fair for all and the school’s ultimate goal is to create the best solution for all those involved.
