L.A. Teachers to Stage ‘Job Action’ Next Week

Citing a lack of progress in salary negotiations, officials of United Teachers-Los Angeles said Thursday that Los Angeles teachers will stage a job action next week.

Under the direction of a state-appointed mediator, representatives of the teachers’ union and the Los Angeles school district held a series of negotiating sessions this week, and are scheduled to meet again on Monday.

At the conclusion of Thursday’s session, however, union President Wayne Johnson said the three days of discussions had brought “very little progress. We’re definitely going to implement a job action next week.”

District negotiators said they were “mildly surprised” by the announcement. “We believe some progress was made, as evidenced by the fact that a meeting has been scheduled for Monday,” district spokesman Bill Rivera said.

Johnson declined to say what day the protest would occur or what form it would take. But union officials had threatened last week to hold a one-day boycott of classes sometime this week. The walkout was put on hold, Johnson said, in the hope that a settlement could be reached.

The teachers are asking for a 14% increase, and the district has offered 7%. Whatever raise is finally agreed on would be paid retroactively to the beginning of the school year.