Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

News

LAUSD Teachers Just Voted To Strike. It's Still Not Clear If -- Or When -- They'd Walk

()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Los Angeles Unified school teachers have voted to give the leaders of their union the power to call a strike if further talks with the district fail to produce an acceptable deal.

Officials in the union, United Teachers Los Angeles, announced the results of the weeklong strike vote on Friday. Of the more than 80 percent of union members who cast ballots, 98 percent of teachers voted in favor of authorizing a strike.

It's the first time since 2009 that rank-and-file UTLA members have voted to authorize a strike. If the teachers acted on the threat, it would be their first strike since 1989.

Support for LAist comes from

But weeks or months could still pass before UTLA leaders actually call for a walkout. Legally, the union cannot call a strike until the conclusion of a lengthy dispute-resolution process with state-appointed officials. The first step is mediation, which does not begin until Sept. 27.

"I think it's time to take next steps," said union Vice President Cecily Myaert-Cruz. "I won't tip my hand to things planned, but take notice ... The fight continues and we're a fighting union."

LAUSD teachers have been working without a contract for more than a year. Nearly a year and a half of talks between the district and UTLA leaders recently failed.

In a statement, district officials said that "L.A. Unified remains opposed to a strike and stands with students, families, and employees to ensure learning and safety come first ... Students and families will bear the brunt of a strike."

For more on how the two sides got to this point, check out this post we put together, which explains the impasse in detail.

UPDATES

Support for LAist comes from

6:21 p.m.: This article was updated with a quote from the union vice president and the LAUSD statement.

This story originally published at 5:29 p.m.


News happens every day. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you and the community you live in. Now that we're part of KPCC, those stories (including this one you're on right now!) are made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism isn't cheap, but with your support we can keep delivering it. Donate now.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist