Teachers’ Representatives Authorize Strike Vote

Citywide representatives of Los Angeles’ 22,000 union teachers, angered by a management threat to cut off their paychecks next month, voted unanimously Wednesday night to authorize a strike vote.

The action, while expected, was a rank-and-file show of unity and an endorsement of the aggressive bargaining tactics of union leaders, particularly United Teachers-Los Angeles President Wayne Johnson.

“That bureaucracy must be cut,” Johnson told 300 teachers at the union’s headquarters. “It’s a fight over (spending) priorities.”

Johnson asked for the strike vote after schools Supt. Leonard Britton announced that he would withhold paychecks, beginning March 3, from teachers who do not file student grades with the district. As a pressure tactic in a year-old contract fight, more than 70% of the district’s teachers last week refused to turn in grades to school offices. Instead, students were given their grades directly on report cards furnished by the union.

Johnson also for the first time told teachers Wednesday night that they should turn in student grades if the union fails to block the district’s pay withholding plan in court this week. He said the union will apply new, unspecified pressure tactics and prepare for a strike if grades must be submitted.

Wednesday’s action by the union’s House of Representatives begins a two- to three-week strike vote process that will not be completed until ballots are distributed and voting takes place at nearly 700 schools. A strike cannot legally occur and is not expected until the spring. And even then a second strike vote would be required. Teacher anger was increased with the news Wednesday that the district will not just withhold teacher pay, but all the automatic payments normally made on payday, such as union dues, mortgage payments, insurance premiums or charitable contributions.

Officials Disappointed

District officials said they were disappointed by the approval of the strike vote, because they have made the best offer possible. They said a settlement can still be reached and noted that negotiations continued Wednesday and were scheduled to resume today.

The teachers are seeking an 11% raise this year and a 10% raise next year. The district is offering 20% to 24% over three years, including 8% for the current school year. Whenever agreement is reached, the raise for this year will be paid retroactively to last July 1.