UTLA
United Teachers Los Angeles
Founded1970
Headquarters3303 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90010 34°03′45″N 118°17′40″W / 34.062421°N 118.294575°W / 34.062421; -118.294575
Location
Members
35,000 (2013)[1]
Key people
Cecily Myart-Cruz, President
AffiliationsCalifornia Federation of Teachers (AFT), (CTA), (NEA)
Websiteutla.net

United Teachers Los Angeles is the main representative of certified, non-administrative staff in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Incorporated in 1970, UTLA represented a merger of American Federation of Teachers local Los Angeles Teachers Alliance and National Education Association local Associated Classroom Teachers of Los Angeles.[2]

Strikes

1989 strike

On May 30, 1989, approximately 20,000 UTLA members went out on strike for higher pay and more administrative control.[3] [4] [5] The strike lasted nine days starting on May 30, 1989. The months preceding the strike were highly contentious. Numerous negotiation tactics were deployed by both sides including teacher demonstrations, threats to withhold grades, threats to dock teacher pay and many hard fought court battles. Union demands included pay increases and better school conditions. Thousands of substitute teachers were mobilized in preparation for the strike, and teachers prepared by saving money to endure a long walk-out. Many of the city's 600 schools reportedly remained open but with lower attendance. The district reported that 8,642 teachers crossed picket lines, and public rhetoric by both sides was critical and intense.[6] After negotiations, a settlement was reached and a three-year contract produced. Both sides claimed victory. Despite successful teacher pay raises obtained in the settlement, a massive economic recession in 1990 caused negotiations in 1991 to focus on preventing massive layoffs due to hundreds of millions in budget deficits.[4]

2019 strike

In August 2018, under the leadership of progressive UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl,[7] 98% of UTLA members authorized a strike following months of contract negotiation disputes.[8] Though teachers were also striking to highlight issues like demands for pay raises, public discussion became predominantly focused on the union's opposition to charter schools.[9] Though one in five LAUSD students attended a charter school at the time of the strike,[10] UTLA argued that independent charter schools were siphoning money from traditional public schools.[11]

A fact-finding report failed to resolve matters and UTLA stated that a strike would proceed on January 10, 2019.[12] The school district attempted to stop the strike on legal grounds, but a judge allowed it to proceed.[13] 30,000 teachers walked out of class and onto the picket line in what became the first such strike in Los Angeles in thirty years,[14] which would last six days.[15] Following the six days of crowded rallies,[16] UTLA and the school district reached a deal on a new contract on January 22, 2019,[17] which included teacher pay raises, full-time librarians for middle and high schools, a commitment to provide full-time nurses for every school, and the establishment of thirty "community schools" in the model of Austin, Texas and Cincinnati, though UTLA failed to impose a binding cap on charter schools.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "About Us - UTLA". www.utla.net. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  2. ↑ "Affiliated Teacher Organizations of Los Angeles". Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  3. ↑ Mydans, Seth; Times, Special To the New York (16 May 1989). "Teacher Strike Spreads Chaos In Los Angeles". Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  4. 1 2 "History of UTLA - UTLA". www.utla.net. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  5. ↑ "Analysis of The 1989 Teacher Strike, Stephanie Clayton, Learning in L.A. Project, 2008" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "Antonucci: With a Los Angeles teacher strike approaching, some echoes resonate from 1989 - LA School Report". laschoolreport.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  7. ↑ "Starved of resources and respect | UTLA". www.utla.net. Archived from the original on 2019-03-15. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  8. ↑ "UTLA members vote overwhelmingly to authorize strike | UTLA". www.utla.net. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  9. ↑ "Possible LAUSD Strike Would Be First Since 1989 – Los Feliz Ledger". www.losfelizledger.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  10. ↑ "L.A. teachers union rallies supporters with call for cap on charter schools". Los Angeles Times. 2018-12-22. Archived from the original on 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  11. ↑ "Op-Ed: Alex Caputo-Pearl: Why Los Angeles teachers may have to strike". Los Angeles Times. 2019-01-06. Archived from the original on 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  12. ↑ Blume, Howard. "L.A. teachers strike appears more likely as a key report fails to bring the union and district together". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  13. ↑ "Judge denies L.A. school district's bid to block teachers strike". Los Angeles Times. 2019-01-05. Archived from the original on 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  14. ↑ "LA Teachers Go On Strike For First Time In 30 Years". KCAL 9 Los Angeles. January 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  15. 1 2 Blume, Howard; Kohli, Sonali (22 January 2019). "LAUSD teachers' strike ends. Teachers to return to classrooms Wednesday". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  16. ↑ Silva, Daniella; Johnson, Alex (14 January 2019). "'Escalate, escalate, escalate': L.A. teachers' strike to head into its second day Tuesday". NBC News. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  17. ↑ Medina, Jennifer; Goldstein, Dana (22 January 2019). "Los Angeles Teachers' Strike to End as Deal Is Reached". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
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