LOS ANGELES : School District Asks State to Name Mediator

The Los Angeles Unified School District has asked the state to appoint a mediator to help speed negotiations with its teachers union--an action that was decried Wednesday by union leaders who called it a breach of faith.

The district earlier this week asked the state Public Employment Relations Board to send in an outside party to help break an impasse in talks with its largest bargaining group, United Teachers-Los Angeles, officials said. On Tuesday, UTLA countered by filing an unfair practice charge with the board, alleging that the district had not acted in good faith by calling for a mediator without the union’s agreement and without trying first to reach a settlement.

Representatives of the cash-strapped district said the request was prompted by a state-mandated deadline for a final budget by mid-September, which made it necessary to expedite negotiations. But UTLA President Helen Bernstein accused the district of rushing to declare an impasse.

The two sides are negotiating pay cuts and furlough days proposed by the district to help close a $400-million budget shortfall. UTLA has castigated the plan, which would slash teacher salaries by 17%.