CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES
School officials today will seek a court injunction to stop Friday’s scheduled one-day teachers strike.
The expected morning filing in L.A. County Superior Court is part of a two-pronged legal strategy by the Los Angeles Unified School District. Last week, the school system filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Public Employment Relations Board in Sacramento. That action, too, could lead to a court injunction against the strike.
The school system also unsheathed a weapon in the public-relations war over the looming strike. Officials said about a third of teachers at Verdugo Hills High have elected to cross picket lines if necessary and donate that day’s salary to the cost of retaining teachers at risk of being laid off.
Overall, nearly three-quarters of the teachers who cast ballots favored the strike, which was called to protest more than 2,500 potential teacher layoffs and the campus disruptions that would result.
In a related budget move, L.A. Unified has announced an early-retirement incentive for non-teachers. The union representing those workers supports the initiative. A similar plan for teachers has netted nearly 1,400 participants, reducing the number of anticipated layoffs.
-- Howard Blume
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