Union Sets Strike Date for Teachers

Cranking up the pressure in contract talks that have dragged on for months, the Los Angeles teachers union has tentatively set a Feb. 27 strike date if no settlement is reached before then.

The union and the school district met several times this month without making significant progress. Negotiations are scheduled for Friday and three days the next week.

Union officers said they chose Feb. 27 after considering the procedural steps that must precede a strike. Either the union or the district could start the process by declaring the talks stalled. State law would require mediation and fact-finding, taking several weeks, before the union could strike.

The strike date could be pushed back if negotiations continue into the holiday season.

The late winter date sets up the possibility of a walkout during the campaign season for three seats on the Board of Education. Two board members who won office with strong backing from the union are up for reelection in April in contests that promise to be heated.

Mayor Richard Riordan, whose support helped challengers oust three board members in 1999, is opposing one of those candidates, Julie Korenstein, but backing the other, Valerie Fields. Riordan also said he will oppose board member Victoria Castro, who has often taken positions opposed by the union.

The teachers, who have been without a contract since July 1, are seeking a raise of 18.8%. The district is currently offering increases ranging from 10.8% to 15.8%, depending on teachers’ base pay.

The strike date, approved by the United Teachers-Los Angeles board of directors this week, will be presented to the membership Wednesday.

In recent days the union has picked up the rhetoric, advising members in a message on the UTLA Web site to prepare themselves.

“Start saving your money,” said Mike Cherry, a UTLA vice president.

A school district official involved in the talks said he thought the setting of a strike date was designed to keep members motivated.

Joe Rao, chief of staff for Supt. Roy Romer, said union President Day Higuchi has assured him that a solution can be worked out.

“We’re narrowing down the issues,” Rao said. “They’ve assured us that no one wants a strike. The superintendent has worked that mantra since he’s been here.”

The two sides inched closer together earlier in the fall when Romer upped the district’s initial offer of a 6% pay increase plus bonuses for improved school performance. The teachers have also backed away from their initial demand for a 21% raise. All the offers include the continuation of a 2% bonus that would become a permanent part of the salary schedule, plus a 1.8% increase in health benefits.

In his Sept. 21 offer, Romer asked for a three-year contract, promising two additional annual increases of at least 3%.

The teachers submitted a counteroffer Oct. 30. The statement on the UTLA Web site described it as “detailed and comprehensive, addressing some 200 concerns of UTLA members.”

Since then, Higuchi said, the two sides have met several times but made little progress.

“They had lots of ‘Noes’ as they went through our proposal, and we had lots of ‘Noes’ as we checked off the list from their proposal,” Higuchi said. “Getting the contract we deserve will not be a walk in the park.”

Besides pay, the two sides are also at odds over seniority rights and accountability measures.

The district wants to restore the authority of principals to assign teachers to tracks and grade levels. The teachers, who won the right to choose assignments based on seniority in exchange for pay cuts in the 1990s, are adamantly opposed.

The district has partly yielded to the teachers’ strong objections to its initial demand for merit pay based on test scores. Instead, Romer is now proposing a pilot program of financial rewards to schools that improve student performance. The money could be used for school expenses or employee stipends. Schools would join the program voluntarily.