Teachers Vote to Strike on Oct. 16

Beverly Hills teachers overwhelmingly approved a strike vote Thursday, setting the stage for a walkout if they fail to renegotiate increases in salary and benefits for the final year of their three-year contract, teachers’ union officials said.

Teachers represented by the Beverly Hills Education Assn. voted 198 to 6 to strike if no agreement is reached by Oct. 16. A state mediator has been called in to conduct the 4-month-old contract negotiations, which resume Thursday.

The district is offering to increase teacher salaries 3.05% and to extend the existing bargaining agreement another year with a 5% wage increase for the 1990-91 school year. Teachers, however, demand an immediate 11% raise or a 20% increase over two years.

Beverly Hills teachers start at a $21,604 annual salary and earn a maximum of $46,270, union officials said, pointing out that Los Angeles teachers signed a new contract this year with salaries ranging from $27,346 to $50,123.

“Compared for what other districts are settling for, we have just lost so much ground,” said union President Judy McIntire.