MONTEBELLO : Teachers, District Hit Stalemate in Talks

Montebello school officials have declared an impasse in negotiations with the union that represents teachers.

Personnel director Bill Erwin said the district decided to seek help from a state-appointed mediator after talks with the Montebello Teachers Assn. ran aground recently. Erwin said the district expects a mediator to be named before the end of the month.

The union has been fighting a proposed 5.3% wage cut. The district is also seeking a 2% reduction of non-teaching staff. A 5.3% salary cut for administrators took effect in July.

Teachers say they will not agree to the proposed reduction in wages because they accepted a pay cut three years ago when the district was in financial trouble. In addition to a pay reduction, the district is also seeking to freeze health benefits and pay increases based on years of experience.

“We are not negotiating another pay cut,” teachers association President Clyle Alt said. “We believe the district needs to quit spending money that it doesn’t have.”