Compton : Teachers Strike 7th Time

Public school teachers walked out of their classrooms this week for the seventh time in two months as contract negotiations with the Compton Unified School District remained stalled over teacher pay. Shortly before Tuesday’s school board meeting, about 20 union members were arrested after staging a sit-in at district headquarters.

The 1,400 teachers, lowest paid in Los Angeles County despite working in the third-largest district, want a raise that will bring salaries up to at least the county average. District officials say they want to accommodate the teachers but do not have enough money to guarantee raises over the proposed contract’s three-year term. The teachers seek an immediate increase of at least 7.31%, while the district has offered to pay 6.67%, according to union executive director Wiley Jones. However, negotiations are continuing.