Labor Updates 

1/29/2019: Los Angeles Unified Board of Education Unanimously Approves Contract with UTLA 

Los Angeles Unified Reaches Agreement with All Labor Bargaining Units

Today the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education voted unanimously (6-0) to approve the new contract with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) that provides a 6% salary increase for educators, reduces class sizes and adds a significant number of librarians, counselors and nurses.

“We are at an historic moment to start addressing these issues, together with our labor partners,” said Superintendent Austin Beutner. “This contract is not the end; it’s the beginning.”

As part of its oversight of Los Angeles Unified, the Los Angeles County Office of Education approved the contract, but has released a letter underscoring the need for Los Angeles Unified to, “implement significant expenditure reductions and/or revenue enhancements that would stabilize the District’s financial position.”

“Congratulations to UTLA, Superintendent Beutner and the negotiation teams,” Board President Mónica García said. “We know our children need us to all work together to demand more from ourselves, each other and California, as we continue to stand with our students, teachers, families and community.”

"I want to thank everyone whose hard work led to this agreement, which balances our desire to put kids first and make responsible financial decisions,” Board Vice President Nick Melvoin said. “I hope the passion that has awoken this city to the issues that plague our public schools continues, because we owe it to our teachers and our kids to keep fighting so we can give them everything they need to succeed."

“This contract resolution signals the important return of our teachers to the classroom where they can continue to focus on educating our students,” Board Member Dr. George J. McKenna III said. “That is where they belong and what matters most.”

“Our teachers are the foundation of our mission to provide a quality public education and opportunity for every child that passes through our school gates,” Board Member Scott M. Schmerelson said. “I believe that the contract we approved today goes a long way to provide the fair compensation and respect our teachers have earned and improved learning environments our students deserve.”

“This agreement makes critical investments to raise teachers’ salaries, reduce class size, and bring additional staff to our schools,” Board Member Kelly Gonez said. “Let’s keep up the momentum we saw across the city to work together for increased public education funding at the state and local levels.”

“I am happy that we have settled our labor issues with UTLA and we can together move forward in getting our students the educational support they need, and our teachers the support they need to get the job done,” Board Member Dr. Richard Vladovic said. “I’m very pleased for the children of this District and for our employees. It’s a good time for us to work together to pursue adequate funding from the state.”

Below are the details of the contract: 

Los Angeles Unified School District Contract with UTLA 

The new contract no longer has Section 1.5 of the contract.

Los Angeles Unified established a Memorandum of Understanding to allow additional schools to apply to become Community Schools. The Community Schools will receive $350,000 in additional funding and have more autonomy over decision making.

Los Angeles Unified and UTLA have also agreed to work together through joint committees that would provide recommendations on: 

• Pay equity across adult, early education, Regional Occupational Centers/Regional Occupational Program. 

• Green space on campuses. 

• Ethnic studies.

1/29/2019: Statement by Superintendent Austin Beutner on the UTLA Contract

Mayor Garcetti referred last week to this as an historic contract. One contract or one week of negotiations can’t solve 40 years of underfunding of public education or decades of frustration felt by educators and all who work in our schools. But I do think we are at an historic moment to start addressing these issues, together with our labor partners.  This contract is not the end; it’s the beginning.

When I started as Superintendent about six months ago, all of the contracts with our eight labor partners were unsettled. There had been a year of stalemate, further eroding trust between LA Unified and all who work in our schools. Since then contracts with all of the unions have been settled. The same basic principles are embodied in all of them: 

• Provide a fair increase in salary, about 6%. Los Angeles is an expensive place to live and it’s not easy for any of our employees to make ends meet.
• Improve working conditions and create additional flexibility and resources to serve the needs of students in schools, and
• Live within our means. Los Angeles Unified is facing significant budget challenges and we simply cannot spend money we do not have, even in the face of real unmet needs in our schools.

Specifically, the agreement with UTLA provides for the following:

• A 3% raise for 2017-18 and a 3% raise for 2018-19.
• A commitment to reduce class sizes in all schools with further reductions in highest needs schools.
• A commitment to address the inequity which exists in our schools. The full funding of the Student Equity Need Index will be an integral part of the 2019-20 budget.
• Additional support for students and educators with more nurses, counselors and librarians in schools. There are nationwide shortages in some of these areas so we’ll have to work hard and be creative to find the top talent we want.
• Agreements to work together on a series of areas we all agree could make a difference in schools including green spaces, immigrant rights and other areas. It’s also clear we’ll need to find other sources of money to do this work as we agreed we cannot use our existing dollars on these areas since those dollars are being spent in classrooms.

All of this is being done within the limits of the existing dollars we have.  Every nickel LA Unified has, including the additional support from the County of Los Angeles for nurses and mental health, and the increases in funding in the Governor’s proposed budget are going to classrooms. And not more than that because our budget difficulties are very real. 

The agreement also reflects a commitment to further reduce class size and add support to schools in future years.  All who helped create this agreement—LA Unified, UTLA, the Mayor of Los Angeles and the many families and communities who stood in support of public education these past two weeks—understand the gravity of the commitment they made. The words must become deeds to increase support for public education. 

This contract is far from perfect, most are. And I’ve certainly been made aware of the imperfections as many have called to share their concerns. I guess if everyone is a bit unhappy we might have found the right compromise. 

The team at LA Unified worked very hard to avoid a strike because the consequences are very real. Students missed about two million days of education which cannot be made up, families’ lives were disrupted, LA Unified lost more than $100 million which could have been invested in schools and educators lost for more than a week without pay to advocate for what they believe in. But public education is now the topic of conversation in every household in Los Angeles and the communities we serve.  Let’s build on that support and move forward.

We worked together with UTLA on this resolution. It reflects something we could all live with, and a chance to work together to make it better. 

1/28/2019: Los Angeles Unified Reaches Tentative Agreement with Los Angeles School Police Association

The Los Angeles Unified School District has reached a tentative agreement with the Los Angeles School Police Association for 2017-20, featuring a 6 percent salary increase.

“The men and women of the Los Angeles School Police work tirelessly to ensure Los Angeles Unified provides a safe learning environment for our students and employees,” said Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner. “We are deeply grateful for their service and commitment to the students, employees, families and communities of Los Angeles Unified.”

The agreement provides a 6 percent salary increase – 3 percent retroactive salary increase in 2017-18 and 3 percent in 2018-19 - and an ongoing survivor benefit effective July 1, 2019. The agreement covers all School Police officers, sergeants and lieutenants. 

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide our officers, sergeants and lieutenants with a three-year contract that provides a 6 percent raise,” said Gilbert Gamez, President of the Los Angeles School Police Association and P.J. Webb, President of the Los Angeles School Police Management Association. “This agreement ensures that our members and their families are cared for and supported.”

Los Angeles Unified has reached labor agreements with AALA, CSEA, SEIU Local 99 and Teamsters Local 572, and tentative agreements with the Building Trades, UTLA and now the Los Angeles School Police Association.

1/22/2019: Los Angeles Unified Reaches Agreement with UTLA

The Los Angeles Unified School District today announced that it has reached an agreement with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) on a new contract that provides a 6% salary increase for educators, reduces class sizes, adds a significant number of librarians, counselors and nurses, and maintains the fiscal solvency of the school district.

Schools will be open tomorrow to welcome all of our students and educators back to the classroom.  

“Today marks a new chapter in public education for Los Angeles Unified,” said Superintendent Austin Beutner. “Public education is the ultimate labor-management collaborative and we are committed to working together to make sure every student gets a great education.”

Under the terms of the new contract, Los Angeles Unified agreed to:

• Reduce class size by four students in grades 4 through 12.
• Increase nursing services at every school.
• Increase library services at every middle school and high school.
• Add counselors at middle and high schools.

Los Angeles Unified and UTLA also agreed to work together through joint committees that will provide recommendations on a number of important issues: 

• Charter co-location. 

• Pay equity across adult, early education, Regional Occupational Centers/Regional Occupational Program. 

• English Learner Master plan including American Sign Language. 

• Green space in school campuses.

“Forty years of underinvestment in public education cannot be solved in just one week or with just one contract,” Beutner continued. “Now that students and all educators are heading back to the classroom, we must focus our attention to properly fund our schools for the long term.”

“I want to thank everyone in Los Angeles Unified – staff, principals and all other employees who worked so hard to keep our schools open and our students safe last week. We welcome our all of our students and teachers back with open arms.”

Attached are the details of the agreement.

Los Angeles Unified School District Agreement with UTLA 

The agreement eliminated Section 1.5 of the contract.

Los Angeles Unified and UTLA have also agreed to work together through joint committees that would provide recommendations on:

• Charter co-location.
• Pay equity across adult, early education, Regional Occupational Centers/Regional Occupational Program.
• English Learner Master Plan including American Sign Language.
• Green space on campuses.

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1/17/2019: Los Angeles Unified and UTLA Resume Negotiations

Today, for the first time since last Friday, we met with UTLA as they have returned to contract negotiations.

We are back in contract negotiations and thank Mayor Garcetti for arranging these discussions. We need to resolve this as soon as possible to get our kids back in school and educators back in the classroom.

Since this strike has started, Los Angeles Unified has lost about $100 million in funding which should have been invested in the classroom. Our students are missing out on the opportunity to learn. Families count on us to keep their children safe and cared for, so they can continue to work to provide for their families. We need to end this strike now.

Community Updates

Numerous voices across the community and from all walks of life have raised serious concerns about the education of students in the event of a strike and have encouraged Los Angeles Unified and UTLA to continue working together to find a solution.

 "This impasse is disrupting the lives of too many kids and their families. I strongly urge all parties to go back to the negotiating table and find an immediate path forward that puts kids back into classrooms and provides parents certainty.

“Last week, I submitted a budget to the Legislature that would make the largest ever investment in K through 12 education, help pay down billions in school district pension debt and provide substantial new funding for special education and early education.

“The budget also makes substantial additional investments in counties and providers by supporting children experiencing mental illness and investing in homelessness services — all of which can translate into additional services and support for children served by LAUSD.”

Governor Gavin Newsom (1/14/2019) - Full Statement

"We urge the teachers union and the school district to reach an agreement and avert a strike-and to put their collective efforts toward securing resources for our teachers and students without devastating the finances of the District." 

Leading Los Angeles foundations, nonprofits, education, civic, business and religious groups (1/13/2019) - Full statement

“It’s time for all of us to think about our students, who depend on our schools for a safe place, a hot meal, and a better future. We should be fighting in Sacramento to find a solution that avoids a strike.”

Antonio Villaraigosa, Former Mayor of LA (1/10/2019)

“The bigger question, though, is what the union’s goal is, and why it was so eager to set a strike date before sitting down with the fact-finder’s report and trying to hammer out a reasonable bargain. The district has nothing to gain from a strike; parents fear it, and a walkout of even a couple of weeks could be devastating to students.”

Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times

“Let’s never forget the impact of a potential strike on Los Angeles’ most vulnerable students. Students who live in poverty and who are already behind will spend days or weeks not learning in the classroom.”

Arne Duncan, former Secretary of Education for President Barack Obama
The Hill

“As UTLA continues to march relentlessly toward a strike, I know the issues are real. I’ve lived them. But the only path to solve them is to collaborate. A strike will not solve anything. UTLA should allow its members to vote again on such an important decision as they did in 1989. And they should make sure its members have all the facts of what LA Unified is offering.”

Dr. Roberta Benjamin Edwards, former teacher and retired administrator at Los Angeles Unified
LA School Report

“What’s the best course of action? Well, a state-appointed factfinding panel evaluated the union and the district’s contract proposals. It also evaluated the school districts books.  Its recommendation: The teachers union should accept the district’s offer of a 6 percent pay raise.  I strongly agree.”

Areva Martin, Esq., President and Co-Founder of Special Needs Network
Los Angeles Sentinel

“As we get closer to the possibility of a strike by the teachers of the L.A. Unified School District, I want to speak up on behalf of these working families and immigrant families — because they will feel it acutely if teachers walk out.”

Gloria Molina, former Los Angeles County Supervisor
Los Angeles Times

Additional Community Voices can be found here. 

News 

NEUTRAL FACT FINDER RECOMMENDS 6% RAISE, ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO REDUCE CLASS SIZE

In November, the state of California appointed an independent, neutral Fact Finder to help resolve contract issues. His recent report confirmed that a 6% raise is reasonable. UTLA leadership’s own appointee to the Fact Finding Panel agreed, stating in December, “I concur with Chair Weinberg’s recommendation regarding the District’s salary proposal with respect to the compensation increase of 3% for 2017- 2018 and 3% for 2018-2019.” 

CALIFORNIA REGULATOR ISSUE COMPLAINT AGAINST UTLA FOR REFUSING TO BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH

The State of California Public Employment Relations Board issued a complaint against United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) for refusing to bargain in good faith. In the report, the state board said that UTLA has declined to meet and negotiate for more than a year and that several of its contract demands are unlawful.   


For Families

All schools are open, including our Early Education Centers and State Preschool sites. For more information, a hotline is available from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 213-443-1300.

Information on Attendance During Strike:

We know these are challenging times in our schools and our top priority remains the safety of students, parents, educators and employees.

We are grateful to the thousands of Los Angeles Unified employees who kept our schools open and provided students with a secure and warm classroom and a meal.

We understand that many students were unable to attend school and are concerned about their report cards or transcripts. Be assured that Los Angeles Unified is not going to put our students in the middle of disputes between adults.

While state law does not excuse absences in case of a strike and students are expected to attend class, principals will work with students and families on attendance.

At the moment, schools will not be notifying parents of absences, but will continue to monitor student attendance and provide support to students on an individual basis. Student absences during the strike will not impact graduation.

If you have any questions, please visit lausd.net, or call our dedicated hotline at 213-443-1300.

Letter to Parents and Families

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Family Resource Guide: 

This Los Angeles Unified Family Resource Guide provides information to help families and communities prepare for a potential strike.

Los Angeles Unified is doing everything possible to ensure every student has access to a safe, clean and supportive learning environment.

 
This Los Angeles Unified Family Resource Guide provides information to help families and communities prepare for a potential strike. L.A. Unified is doing everything possible to ensure every student has access to a safe, clean and supportive learning environment.

Family Resource Guide

Guía de Recursos para las Familias

패밀리 자원 안내서

Budget and Reserve Information

 For more information on Los Angeles Unified's budget and reserve, click here.

 
Superintendent Beutner

 “I came to Los Angeles Unified to help do the work. I am a product of public schools, and I wouldn’t be here today, but for my great public education. I have committed myself to making sure children in our community have the same opportunities I was provided with. The best opportunity I was ever given was a great public education.” 

- Superintendent Austin Beutner

Biography 

Tree of Life Interfaith Prayer Service
First AME Church 
October 31, 2018

A pathway to prevent a strike
Los Angeles Times Opinion Editorial
September 25, 2018

Speech to Community Leaders
Sept. 13, 2018

First Day on the Job
Aug. 14, 2018

Annual Administrator's Address for Los Angeles Unified   
Aug. 10, 2018

Additional Resources

Unit A - LASPA (School Police)

Negotiations with Unit A began on February 27, 2018 and are ongoing.  The parties last met on August 23, 2018.  The next scheduled date for negotiations is September 20, 2018.

Unit H - LASPMA (Sergeants and Lieutenants)

Negotiations with Unit H began on May 2, 2018 and are ongoing.  The parties last met on August 22, 2018.  The next scheduled date for negotiations is September 12, 2018.

Unit E - Trades Council (Crafts)

Negotiations with Unit E  began on October 11, 2017 and are ongoing.  The parties last met on August 27, 2018.  The next scheduled date for negotiations is September 13, 2018.

Unit S - Teamsters (Classified Supervisors)

Nov. 13 -- Los Angeles Unified School District and Teamsters Local 572 Finalize Labor Contract