L.A. teachers union widely expected to announce strike date at massive Wednesday rally
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With contract negotiations at a standstill, leaders of the Los Angeles teachers union are widely expected on Wednesday to announce the date of a strike that, if carried out, would interrupt the education of about 390,000 students.The announcement would be timed to coincide with a massive rally — involving three employee unions — in Gloria Molina Grand Park, across from City Hall in downtown L.A.The union’s board of elected member leaders is meeting Wednesday morning to determine the strike date, sources have confirmed.
Once a strike date is set, it does not mean a walkout is inevitable.A strike could be avoided if the two sides reach an agreement before the date arrives.
The work stoppage, if it happens, would be an open-ended strike that could last until an agreement is reached.The last such strike lasted for six days in January 2019.
The rally will mark a high-profile moment; it’s expected to attract thousands if the pattern holds from similar past events.United Teachers Los Angeles represents more than 30,000 classroom teachers, psychologists, attendance counselors, guidance counselors, nurses and secondary school librarians.UTLA members have been working under terms of a contract that expired on June 30.The union estimates that its latest proposal would, on average, result in a 17% salary increase over the next two years.
The proposal especially focuses on early-career teachers, raising their pay to $80,000.The top rate for an experienced educator would be $133,972.
California United Teachers Los Angeles members authorized their leadership to call a strike.Stalled talks have moved to the fact-finding stage.The unusual approach within UTLA’s salary-hike strategy is to greatly increase the automatic raises that occur based on years of experience and acquired education credits.
If successful, this outcome would embed ongoing and significant raises — and offer ...