The last-second Hail Mary tentative agreement between the Long Beach Unified School District and the Teachers Association of Long Beach has been ratified by TALB membership after three days of voting. The agreement includes a 9% raise and the addition of two additional non-student work days for teachers beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

Once the tentative agreement had been reached, it went to TALB membership for a ratification vote, which happened last week, with results announced on Saturday. The agreement passed with 79.9% approval among the more than 3,000 voters who participated. Underlining the emotional argument teachers made at recent Board of Education meetings  that they’re not being heard or valued was a “no” vote from slightly more than 20% of those who cast a ballot.

The agreement now goes to the LBUSD Board of Education, which will hold its next meeting on May 3. If approved, as is expected, the agreement will be final.

The LBUSD also recently announced that it had reached a tentative agreement with its second-largest union, the Long Beach chapter of the California School Employees Association, which represents many of its non-teacher employees. The agreement parallels the deal with TALB, with 9% raises and a 3% off-schedule payment. That agreement now goes to CSEA employees for an upcoming ratification vote.

The agreements and the TALB ratification are good news for the LBUSD, which was in protracted state mediation with the Long Beach CSEA chapter last year and which was on the brink of entering mediation with TALB for the first time in a decade. With votes expected to go smoothly for CSEA ratification and Board approval, the negotiating season will come to an end for the district.

LBUSD, TALB reach contract agreement and will avoid state mediation

LBUSD teachers rally at board meeting as contract negotiations drag on