A massive labor stoppage across the Los Angeles Unified School District was narrowly avoided early Tuesday after marathon talks secured a tentative contract for support staff. This averted a shutdown affecting hundreds of thousands of students in the nation's second-largest district, following earlier agreements with teachers and administrators.

Mayor Karen Bass interceded late Monday to help finalize the accord with Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, representing about 30,000 custodians, drivers, and cafeteria workers. Earlier deals granted teachers an average 14 percent pay raise over two years, setting a precedent the support staff leveraged in their own demands.

The final agreement grants S.E.I.U. members an average 24 percent pay increase, a substantial win for the district’s lowest-paid employees, many of whom will now qualify for health benefits. This labor action was part of a broader California trend pressuring districts over worker compensation.

Disruption to the district’s 1,500 schools would have been extensive, as 40,000 other employees pledged solidarity. The resolution provides immediate stability for families grappling with one of the nation's most expensive housing markets, preventing a repeat of the costly 2023 walkout.