With a possible teachers’ strike looming for the Los Angeles Unified School District this week, Metro announced on Tuesday that it will offer students free rides in case the union-organized protest happens.
More than 30,000 educators and other staff members represented by the United Teachers Los Angeles planned to strike Thursday after months of failed negotiations between the union and LAUSD over salaries, class sizes and staffing shortages.
“LAUSD is the country’s second largest school district with more than 600,000 students,” Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Sheila Kuehl said in a statement. “At Metro, we want to help those kids who may be staying home from school because of the strike find constructive and educational ways to spend their time. Free Metro access will help make it easier for students and their families to get to parks, museums, libraries and other facilities.”
Students who show their IDs can get free fares on Metro from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day of the strike.
Bus operators will let students board buses for free, and enforcement officers will let them ride without fares on the Gold, Blue, Green and Expo light rail lines. TAP personnel will let students in free of charge on the Red and Purple lines.
UTLA has deemed the school district’s offers inadequate, saying its members have been working without a contract for nearly one year.
“Even with $1.86 billion in reserves, LAUSD says it does not have the money to improve our schools,” the group said in a statement.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said free fares on the Metro can help ease the burden on students and parents affected by the strike.
“Free rides on Metro mean that families will have one less thing to worry about while both parties work toward an agreement,” Garcetti said.
