pantsonfire
Pearl Clutcher
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 4,541
Jun 19, 2022 16:48:04 GMT
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Post by pantsonfire on Mar 24, 2023 14:22:12 GMT
Any peas part of this? Either as an employee or with kids in the district?
LAUSD had schools closed for 3 days and reopened today due to strikes.
From ABC 7 LA:
LOG IN
EDUCATION LAUSD schools reopen after 3-day strike ends with no contract settlement for service workers Marc Cota-Robles Image ByMarc Cota-Robles KABC logo Friday, March 24, 2023 6:24AM
LAUSD students head back to class after 3-day strike ends EMBED <>MORE VIDEOS LAUSD students will return to classes following a three-day strike by service workers that shuttered the nation's second-largest school system.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Sudents in the L.A. Unified School District will return to classes Friday following a three-day strike by service workers that shuttered the nation's second-largest school system and culminated in a massive labor rally at Los Angeles State Historic Park.
No new contract came out of the three-day walkout by members of the Service Employees International Union Local 99 -- nor was there any word on whether progress was being made in the contract dispute between the union and the district.
Mayor Karen Bass has been facilitating discussions between the sides, but it remained unclear if the talks were materializing into actual contract negotiations.
Nevertheless, it will be back to school on Friday, as the union confirmed Wednesday night it would hold to its three-day strike strategy.
"All @laschools will reopen this Friday, March 24. We are grateful for the assistance and support of our partners, and we look forward to seeing our students and employees back at school," the district tweeted Thursday night.
The SEIU, which represents roughly 30,000 LAUSD service workers, walked off the job Tuesday amid stalled labor talks focused primarily on the union's demand for a 30% salary boost.
The service workers -- including cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, special education assistants and others -- were joined in their walkout by about 30,000 members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union, which is engaged in labor talks of its own with the district, seeking a 20% pay hike for its members.
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I am pro union. I am pro fair pay. But 30% in my opinion is rather steep. Even 20%.
Now dh recently had a 5% raise that gave back pay as a one time payment then a set increase at I think 7% but not sure on that. He is a teacher.
All unions got a raise.
But 30%...no way would district agree to that.
What do others think?
Is 30% too high? Is there a realistic number? Or is 30% okay to ask for?
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Anita
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,628
Location: Kansas City -ish
Jun 27, 2014 2:38:58 GMT
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Post by Anita on Mar 24, 2023 14:28:35 GMT
That's a really high amount. I think it's a bit unreasonable as a one-time ask. I could see a gradual raise over time to that amount, but I don't see that as economically feasible.
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Post by myshelly on Mar 24, 2023 14:31:07 GMT
I don’t think you can say whether 30% increase is reasonable without knowing all the circumstances.
Have they not gotten a raise for multiple years and a 30% raise would represent a 5% raise for each year they didn’t get a raise?
Did health insurance go up by 30% and now their take home pay is 30% lower?
Did admin and superintendent get raises of 30%?
Are they being asked to work 30% more hours or have 30% more kids?
Are they being asked to take less other benefits and want a raise to compensate for loss of those benefits?
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Post by Lexica on Mar 24, 2023 14:32:22 GMT
I think the 30% would depend on what the current base pay was. If it hasn’t been raised for years, that percentage, while sounding exorbitant, might just bring them up to a wage commensurate with other districts in the area. Does it talk about what their current pay is and why the large increase is demanded?
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Post by Merge on Mar 24, 2023 14:34:09 GMT
Our service staff are paid so ridiculously little that a 30% raise would bring them up to something approaching a living wage. I'd need to know more.
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Post by LiLi on Mar 24, 2023 14:48:58 GMT
This is somewhat local to me. We live in LA county, but just out of the city/LAUSD district. I can't find the article biut I recall reading the average service worker in the district makes 25k a year. This is ridiculously low, and compounded with the super high cost of living here. Found a different article: abc7.com/lausd-strike-worker-wages-los-angeles-schools-closed/12987866/LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles Unified School District employees are on strike and schools are closed. Employees represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 99, including cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians and special education assistants are demanding higher wages, among other things. But how much do these workers make, and how does it compare to similar jobs elsewhere? Here are some numbers that might give some context. LAUSD worker salaries According to SEIU Local 99, the union representing the striking workers, the average annual salary for members in LAUSD is about $25,000 per year. The union workers at LAUSD include four different units making the following, on average, per year: Instructional aides: $27,531 per year Operations (bus drivers, custodians, food services): $31,825 per year Teacher assistants: $22,257 per year Program aids: $14,576 per year On average, these workers do not work full-time hours. The union said the average hours worked by members is about five to six hours a day. But, according to an ABC7 analysis of union documents, the typical entry-level salary is about $16.91 an hour, and the typical high-level salary is less than $23.85 an hour. Even if these jobs were traditional 8-hour days working 52 weeks out of the year, salaries would still typically be $35,000 per year on the low end and $50,000 per year on the high end. That's well below the $66,750 per year that the Department of Housing and Community Development considers "low income" in LA County. Salaries vs cost of living Along with many things, the SEIU member salaries have not kept up with inflation. The last permanent raise SEIU members received was a $1 per hour increase in July 2019, an increase of about 5.5% on average, according to the union. Since then, the Consumer Price Index, an index that measures the costs of goods and services, in the Los Angeles metro area has increased 16% between July 2019 and January 2023. LAUSD Salaries vs statewide These wages don't seem to be out of the norm, at least not compared to some California wage numbers. Hourly wages for teaching assistants and food service workers are only a little over a dollar difference from the median wage for similar jobs statewide. LAUSD bus drivers make almost the same as they do typically statewide.
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 3,812
Jun 26, 2014 12:56:40 GMT
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Post by CeeScraps on Mar 24, 2023 14:53:07 GMT
Any peas part of this? Either as an employee or with kids in the district? LAUSD had schools closed for 3 days and reopened today due to strikes. From ABC 7 LA: LOG IN EDUCATION LAUSD schools reopen after 3-day strike ends with no contract settlement for service workers Marc Cota-Robles Image ByMarc Cota-Robles KABC logo Friday, March 24, 2023 6:24AM LAUSD students head back to class after 3-day strike ends EMBED <>MORE VIDEOS LAUSD students will return to classes following a three-day strike by service workers that shuttered the nation's second-largest school system. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Sudents in the L.A. Unified School District will return to classes Friday following a three-day strike by service workers that shuttered the nation's second-largest school system and culminated in a massive labor rally at Los Angeles State Historic Park. No new contract came out of the three-day walkout by members of the Service Employees International Union Local 99 -- nor was there any word on whether progress was being made in the contract dispute between the union and the district. Mayor Karen Bass has been facilitating discussions between the sides, but it remained unclear if the talks were materializing into actual contract negotiations. Nevertheless, it will be back to school on Friday, as the union confirmed Wednesday night it would hold to its three-day strike strategy. "All @laschools will reopen this Friday, March 24. We are grateful for the assistance and support of our partners, and we look forward to seeing our students and employees back at school," the district tweeted Thursday night. The SEIU, which represents roughly 30,000 LAUSD service workers, walked off the job Tuesday amid stalled labor talks focused primarily on the union's demand for a 30% salary boost. The service workers -- including cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, special education assistants and others -- were joined in their walkout by about 30,000 members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union, which is engaged in labor talks of its own with the district, seeking a 20% pay hike for its members. ------------------------------------------ I am pro union. I am pro fair pay. But 30% in my opinion is rather steep. Even 20%. Now dh recently had a 5% raise that gave back pay as a one time payment then a set increase at I think 7% but not sure on that. He is a teacher. All unions got a raise. But 30%...no way would district agree to that. What do others think? Is 30% too high? Is there a realistic number? Or is 30% okay to ask for? Teachers raises are different than the planet's raises. The union takes the pot....if it's 30%.....DIVIDES IT up so hopefully each level of their salary schedule will get something. I word it that way because some levels get very, very little. There are so many people to divide the pot it makes the raises sometimes very little. The union team will divide it. The union will give paperwork to its members so they can see what they'd receive. The members will vote on it. Then the contract is resolved.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Mar 28, 2024 18:44:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2023 14:56:08 GMT
I need more details on the requested pay raise. Why 20 or 30%? Is it because they haven't had a raise in a very long time?
DH has gotten a 3-5% raise almost every year to balance COL increases. Most teachers I know have gotten at least 2% raises nearly every year. Hell, most retail places will at least give you a tiny raise every year you've worked for them. Why do we allow teachers and support staff have pay freezes?
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Post by Darcy Collins on Mar 24, 2023 14:56:44 GMT
My cousin moved her kids out during the pandemic (for the record both she and her husband are union employees and strongly support unions, but they just could not deal with the continued covid shutdowns and the impact on their early elementary students). The district is really now between a rock and a hard place as enrollment is down - in some cases alarmingly with some schools losing half of their students. When you have declining enrollment, finding money for 20-30% pay increases is going to be very difficult. I know teacher pay in the district starts at 55,000 and the pay scale ends around $90,000. Google tells me the average pay for service unions is significantly lower - just $25,000 and most aren't full time employees. I can't begin to imagine how you afford anything anywhere near LA for that kind of salary, even if its' a couple's second income. Article on enrollment for those who are interested: www.the74million.org/article/leaving-los-angeles-these-10-lausd-schools-lost-the-most-students-during-covid/
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Post by epeanymous on Mar 24, 2023 14:59:36 GMT
A lot of places haven't had raises in a decade. I don't know their situation but wages for many people have not kept up with inflation, much less increased for seniority or merit, in quite some time.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Mar 24, 2023 15:16:18 GMT
Paid article says the latest offer from district was 23% and 3% cash bonus. I'm actually wondering if sticking point isn't their ask for health care benefits for those working part time and more full time positions. I have a feeling this is going to result in a big pay raise combined with a big layoff down the road.
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pantsonfire
Pearl Clutcher
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 4,541
Jun 19, 2022 16:48:04 GMT
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Post by pantsonfire on Mar 24, 2023 15:53:17 GMT
My cousin moved her kids out during the pandemic (for the record both she and her husband are union employees and strongly support unions, but they just could not deal with the continued covid shutdowns and the impact on their early elementary students). The district is really now between a rock and a hard place as enrollment is down - in some cases alarmingly with some schools losing half of their students. When you have declining enrollment, finding money for 20-30% pay increases is going to be very difficult. I know teacher pay in the district starts at 55,000 and the pay scale ends around $90,000. Google tells me the average pay for service unions is significantly lower - just $25,000 and most aren't full time employees. I can't begin to imagine how you afford anything anywhere near LA for that kind of salary, even if its' a couple's second income. Article on enrollment for those who are interested: www.the74million.org/article/leaving-los-angeles-these-10-lausd-schools-lost-the-most-students-during-covid/This is across the state. It ebs and flows all the time as kids age out and people either have kids later in life or none at all. Then there seems to be a wave of higher birth rates. Our district and Dh's isnt at all concerned. They know that ADA will be going down but it has happened before and they have a pot of money just for this reason.
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pantsonfire
Pearl Clutcher
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 4,541
Jun 19, 2022 16:48:04 GMT
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Post by pantsonfire on Mar 24, 2023 15:55:15 GMT
Any peas part of this? Either as an employee or with kids in the district? LAUSD had schools closed for 3 days and reopened today due to strikes. From ABC 7 LA: LOG IN EDUCATION LAUSD schools reopen after 3-day strike ends with no contract settlement for service workers Marc Cota-Robles Image ByMarc Cota-Robles KABC logo Friday, March 24, 2023 6:24AM LAUSD students head back to class after 3-day strike ends EMBED <>MORE VIDEOS LAUSD students will return to classes following a three-day strike by service workers that shuttered the nation's second-largest school system. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Sudents in the L.A. Unified School District will return to classes Friday following a three-day strike by service workers that shuttered the nation's second-largest school system and culminated in a massive labor rally at Los Angeles State Historic Park. No new contract came out of the three-day walkout by members of the Service Employees International Union Local 99 -- nor was there any word on whether progress was being made in the contract dispute between the union and the district. Mayor Karen Bass has been facilitating discussions between the sides, but it remained unclear if the talks were materializing into actual contract negotiations. Nevertheless, it will be back to school on Friday, as the union confirmed Wednesday night it would hold to its three-day strike strategy. "All @laschools will reopen this Friday, March 24. We are grateful for the assistance and support of our partners, and we look forward to seeing our students and employees back at school," the district tweeted Thursday night. The SEIU, which represents roughly 30,000 LAUSD service workers, walked off the job Tuesday amid stalled labor talks focused primarily on the union's demand for a 30% salary boost. The service workers -- including cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, special education assistants and others -- were joined in their walkout by about 30,000 members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union, which is engaged in labor talks of its own with the district, seeking a 20% pay hike for its members. ------------------------------------------ I am pro union. I am pro fair pay. But 30% in my opinion is rather steep. Even 20%. Now dh recently had a 5% raise that gave back pay as a one time payment then a set increase at I think 7% but not sure on that. He is a teacher. All unions got a raise. But 30%...no way would district agree to that. What do others think? Is 30% too high? Is there a realistic number? Or is 30% okay to ask for? Teachers raises are different than the planet's raises. The union takes the pot....if it's 30%.....DIVIDES IT up so hopefully each level of their salary schedule will get something. I word it that way because some levels get very, very little. There are so many people to divide the pot it makes the raises sometimes very little. The union team will divide it. The union will give paperwork to its members so they can see what they'd receive. The members will vote on it. Then the contract is resolved. I have never seen it happen that way. Is this how LA does it? For Dh's district, union lets teachers know what they are bargaining for, they talk with district, if there is an agreement, teachers vote and next month they get the raise. It has never been divded. Teachers union is separate from Paraprofessional union which is separate from sub union, etc.
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Post by aj2hall on Mar 24, 2023 20:07:14 GMT
For a little more context, the 30% ask is not a one time pay raise, it's over the multiyear contract. I'm not sure if it's 3 or 5 years. abc7.com/lausd-strike-union-workers/12990154/The SEIU is looking for a total 30% raise over the multiyear contract, while the district's latest offer is 23%.Union leaders say their average workers - many of them parttime - make about $25,000 a year and work an average of 5.5 hours a day.An ABC7 analysis of district data indicates those workers average about $16.91 in entry-level positions and $23.85 at the higher-level jobs.Their last raise was $1/hour in 2019. Since then, the cost of living has shot up about 16% in the Los Angeles area.www.vox.com/2023/3/21/23650526/lausd-strike-los-angeles-teacher-salary-wagesAccording to the union, the average staffer’s salary is $25,000, which qualifies as “extremely low income” under federal guidelines for a single-person household and under the poverty line for a family of four. That average includes full- and part-time workers; many union members are only part-time workers due to the lack of full-time positions.“We shouldn’t be paying them poverty wages ... how can you possibly live in LA on $25,000 a year?” US Senate candidate and current Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) told Fox11 ahead of the strike, adding that he would be joining school staff on the picket line.They’re also claiming that the district overly relies on part-time employees, in part because workers cannot survive on the wages they’re being paid at schools alone and have to take multiple jobs. They want the district to staff up, increase the number of full-time hours available, and pay them for “unassigned days” when the district closes schools due to a high level of absenteeism, usually on religious holidays. Additionally, they’re asking for paid days for training and professional development and the ability to cash out on vacation pay. The union says the district wants to be able to “cut our hours at any time or not pay us for all hours we work.”And they’re asking for access to health care benefits for community reps, teacher assistants, and other workers who work less than four hours a day, which includes more than 5,000 employees. They are not currently covered and would not be under the district’s latest proposal.apnews.com/article/los-angeles-unified-school-district-workers-strike-6d688eef5a0a68c316d8a82e531dd3d0Instructional aide Marlee Ostrow, who planned to join picket lines, said she’s long overdue for a raise. The 67-year-old was hired two decades ago at $11.75 an hour, and today she makes about $16. That isn’t enough to keep pace with inflation and rising housing prices, she said, and meanwhile her duties have expanded from two classrooms to five.
Ostrow blames the district’s low wages for job vacancies that have piled up in recent years.
“There’s not even anybody applying because you can make more money starting at Burger King,” she said. “A lot of people really want to help kids, and they shouldn’t be penalized for wanting that to be their life’s work.”
The union says district support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 per year and many live in poverty because of low pay or limited work hours while struggling with inflation and the high cost of housing in Los Angeles County. The union is asking for a 30% raise. Teachers want a 20% pay hike over two years.
SEIU members have been working without a contract since June 2020, while the contract for teachers expired in June 2022. The unions decided last week to stop accepting extensions to their contracts.
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scrappinmama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,814
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Mar 24, 2023 23:22:00 GMT
My mom is a retired LAUSD employee. They are very underpaid. And keep in mind that the cost of living is sky high. There are a lot of employees who can't even afford rent or food, especially with inflation. They deserve better than what they are getting.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Mar 25, 2023 0:26:25 GMT
My cousin moved her kids out during the pandemic (for the record both she and her husband are union employees and strongly support unions, but they just could not deal with the continued covid shutdowns and the impact on their early elementary students). The district is really now between a rock and a hard place as enrollment is down - in some cases alarmingly with some schools losing half of their students. When you have declining enrollment, finding money for 20-30% pay increases is going to be very difficult. I know teacher pay in the district starts at 55,000 and the pay scale ends around $90,000. Google tells me the average pay for service unions is significantly lower - just $25,000 and most aren't full time employees. I can't begin to imagine how you afford anything anywhere near LA for that kind of salary, even if its' a couple's second income. Article on enrollment for those who are interested: www.the74million.org/article/leaving-los-angeles-these-10-lausd-schools-lost-the-most-students-during-covid/This is across the state. It ebs and flows all the time as kids age out and people either have kids later in life or none at all. Then there seems to be a wave of higher birth rates. Our district and Dh's isnt at all concerned. They know that ADA will be going down but it has happened before and they have a pot of money just for this reason. LAUSD has been slowly shrinking for TWENTY years - and accelerated during the pandemic. If your district is down from 737,000 students to 423,000 and the next 10 years are expected to drop ANOTHER 30% - the district damn sure should be concerned. And that pot of money for dealing with the ebb and flow is exactly what the unions want the district to use to increase salaries.
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Post by silverlining on Mar 25, 2023 2:18:38 GMT
This is a great reminder that schools just can't function without their teacher assistants, aides, bus drivers and cafeteria workers. Their salaries are very low for a large expensive city like LA.
I misunderstood at first and thought that this was a teacher's strike, but it's a different union than UTLA, the teachers union.
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Post by aj2hall on Mar 25, 2023 12:07:53 GMT
www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/03/25/los-angeles-schools-union-strike-deal/Friday’s agreement includes multiyear wage increases that add up to about 20 percent over time; a $1,000 bonus for current employees who worked in 2020; and a $2 per hour raise for all employees effective Jan. 1, 2024. Health care will also be provided to all employees who work at least four hours per day. LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho called it a “historic” agreement, “the likes of which has never been negotiated across the state or across the country.” Max Arias, executive director of SEIU Local 99, said at a news conference that the deal will set “new standards,” and noted that the pay increases add up to reach the union’s goal. “Because of our members’ low wages, a $2 an hour increase is the equivalent of about 10 percent of their salaries on average. That is a 30 percent total increase,” he said.
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,366
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Mar 25, 2023 22:32:45 GMT
As a negotiator for the TEACHER's union in my very small, rural, California school district...
We usually ask for COLA- supposed to be around 8% this year. It was supposed to be 9 but it's been adjusted.
We never get full COLA. Out of the money the district gets from the state they have to do retirement contribution, pay, some other stuff I can't remember at the moment. Pretty much EVERYTHING.
Last year we got more money on our insurance ($12K/year) but it's not enough to take care of the $1200/mo contribution I pay on top of the $12K the district pays! That's crazy to me! I have KAISER insurance!
A neighboring district (one my kids attend) did 10.5% this year plus 5.1% next and 5% the year after that. It totals to 21% which IMO is RIDICULOUS because the district must fund this even if COLA isn't there to support it. I am all for the district giving teachers more money but the funds have to be there to fund it long term. Otherwise, they will have to renegotiate the pay increases and/or cut positions to fund the cost. This district will be paying more than my district once all is said and done. It's also a rural district so similar demographics.
Our classified staff (secretaries, bus drivers, custodians, food service, etc) have their own union as well that they bargain with. The district has to share the COLA and whatever with them as well.
AND of course, the admin has a "me too" clause in which they get any raises that are agreed upon in bargaining even if they're already making a ton of money over what the worker bees make.
There are LOTS of pieces that go into school district pay/negotiations.
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Post by dualmaestra on Mar 26, 2023 3:25:50 GMT
I live an hour away and used to teach for LAUSD. My sister still works there and have many friends from my former school.
It does seem like a large percentage, but according to many of my friends, the superintendent got aa 26% pay increase. He makes over $400,000 plus gets housing, a car and chauffeur.
Classified staff needs a living wage too.
The numbers above about their numbers shocked me. When i was there, almost 20 years ago, their student population was about 750,000. That is a large drop.
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