Demanding Better of LAUSD 

LAUSD's response to the fires has not come close to reflecting the magnitude of need. Their “back to business” focus is ridiculous while fires are still burning and huge numbers of people are displaced, have lost their jobs or businesses, or are suffering fire-related health issues. We continue to demand that the district do right by educators, staff, and families.

As a result of our pressure, they increased the number of MSND leave for some employees (7 days of MSND for those under mandatory evacuation, 10 days for those whose homes were destroyed) but it is still not enough.

UTLA is demanding the district expand the number of MSND days and extend them to all impacted staff, including those with fire-related medical or family issues. Staff should not have to deplete illness leave, PTO time, or Personal Necessity Leave to pay for this natural disaster, and impacted folks will likely need far more days than LAUSD is currently offering.

In addition, we are making demands for additional mental health support, postponement of the evaluation process, support for impacted substitutes, opening LAUSD vacant lots for use by displaced families, and more.

LAS CHAPTER CHAIR KYOKO BRISTOE REPRESENTS IN BARGAINING CAMPAIGN PUBLICITY!!

Please take a few minutes to check out the full platform and a summary. There is a lot to get excited about!

Building solidarity and taking collective action is how we win for our schools. It’s how we forced open the door in 2019 for class size caps and staffing minimums, and won a 21% pay increase, additional class size reductions, and more contract wins in 2023. It's how we continue to build power and bring more people into the fight for public schools.

May 2023

95% YES Vote on CONTRACT Tentative Agreement

Last week, UTLA and SEIU Local 99 reached a tentative agreement with the district on the school calendar and pending Unfair Practice Charges (UPCs).

This week, members voted 95% yes to ratify the agreement with 15,082 voting yes and 810 voting no.

Some of the terms of the agreement include:

• Maintaining the current three-week winter break (rescinding Carvalho's unilateral decision that the school board approved to shorten winter break)

• For the district to reconcile the state penalty for closing schools during the three-day strike, the next two school years will have 183 required contractual work days rather than 182

• The district will not use strike participation as the basis for discipline, negative evaluations, or evidence of excessive absences

• The district will drop their unfair practice charge against UTLA and SEIU 99 alleging that the three-day strike in March was unlawful

• UTLA and SEIU 99 will drop our unfair practice charges against the district

Read the agreement summary and full tentative agreement.

Hi everyone,

What a year! We've worked so hard and had such huge triumphs this year. It's almost time to take some much needed rest (or at least to switch to some shorter days), but we're squeaking one more win in under the wire: calendar bargaining. Join us Monday at 5 to talk through the new Tentative Agreement on next year's calendar. Voting will take place 6/6-6/8!

Here are some key points:

• Keeping the 3-week winter break

• Adjusting the schedule for the strike days (this is a little complicated, but we will go into it in more depth tomorrow): Pupil-free days will become instructional days and one additional instructional day will be added to the coming 2 school years

• Optional days before and after the start and end of school to pack up the classroom (C-basis, because they are losing their only days to prepare and pack up rooms)

• Additional workdays will not be included in the 25-26 year, which will be bargained

• LAUSD, UTLA, SEIU will all drop their Unfair Practice Charges with the Labor Board

• LAUSD will not hold strike participation against any employee

One more quick thing:

• Itinerant Educators should complete the Itinerant Declaration Form for 2023-24 to be on the roster where you work more than 50% of the time and to get assigned to a UTLA Area.

• We have to do this every year to be on the roster at our main school!

In unity,

Sara McDonald, Kyoko Bristow, Sally Machado, Leah Mashian

5.14.23

It’s Official! Our Historic 2022-25 Contract Has Been Ratified!

Last week, members voted 94% YES to ratify the ground-breaking agreement we fought for and won. On Tuesday, the school board unanimously signed off on the agreement, putting the 2022-25 contract into effect.

Now that the agreement is ratified, the district will begin working on retroactive paychecks. It is uncertain how long it will take the district to calculate and issue retroactive paychecks but the UTLA member bargaining team is pushing for as soon as possible.

More on the agreement here including the summary and full text, FAQs, and Salary Increase Calculator.

Hi, UTLA SLPs!

This email is going to have WAY too many exclamation points! Because the TA just passed with 94% member approval! 

Which means WE DID IT! Reduced on site is happening!!

We identified the need for reduced on site commitment. 

We started a Working Group.

We researched and wrote proposals.

We got our proposals in the bargaining platform.

We presented our stories during bargaining sessions - twice!

We hung in there when things looked bleak.

We showed up at rallies - and made the news!

We walked the picket lines - with awesome signs!

We kept the faith.

We voted. 

And WE WON!!

The school board has the agreement on their agenda for next Tuesday. Once they vote to approve, it's a done deal!

This contract is a game changer for our program. We're so happy to have done this together!!

Here is a link to tonight's UTLA email with election results:

https://mailchi.mp/utla/all-member-5-5-2023?e=8cb326c507

In joy and gratitude and solidarity!!

Kyoko and Sara

UTLA Members 

Vote 94% YES 

to Ratify Historic Agreement

The results are in! UTLA members voted 94% YES to ratify the 2022-25 tentative agreement. A total of 27,171 members voted — with 25,575 voting yes and 1,596 voting no.

We fought together for more than a year to win our Beyond Recovery demands. With this agreement, we are setting a new standard – not just for LA schools, but for public education nationwide.

“This agreement demonstrates that when we stand together, we can transform our schools for the better. It acknowledges the impact of the pandemic, years of disinvestment and economic hardship, while standing firm on things school faculty need to provide quality education to our students. This contract will set the national standard for all other educators to achieve liveable wages and solidify an equitable future where students are supported in a healthy learning environment.” 

—Cecily Myart-Cruz, UTLA President

On Tuesday, May 9, the school board will vote on final approval of the contract

UTLA SLP UPDATES AND INFO

Hi, UTLA SLPs, 

Thanks so much to everyone who attended and shared information and encouragement! We got this, team!!

Here are the links from the meeting: 

• UTLA webpage for SEIU strike - check here for your picket site:  SEIU 99 Solidarity Strike 3/21-3/23 - UTLA

• FAQ for SEIU strike:  FAQ: SEIU Solidarity Strike March 21-23 - UTLA

• Legal Protections memo:  2023.3.13.Memo_re_Strike_Rights.pdf (mcusercontent.com)

• Notice to district letter:  Microsoft Word - Notification of Solidarity Strike (3-16-23).docx (utla.net)

Aaaaaaand...thanks to Leah Mashian and Sally Machado, we have a UTLA LAS chapter instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utla_slps/

Please follow and share your rally and strike photos!

Keep your eyes open for emails from UTLA and from us - we will share updates as soon as we get them. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Hang in there and please reach out if you need anything.

In solidarity,

Kyoko and Sara

45,000 United for LA Schools Sends Message to Carvalho: 

No Time to Lose

Today we took over Grand Park in the first-ever joint rally with our sisters and brothers in SEIU Local 99 and the largest rally since our 2019 strike. UTLA and SEIU 99 education workers stood United for LA Schools alongside students, parents, and the Los Angeles community.

Our massive turnout of 45,000 at today's rally demanded the attention of the media and the whole City of Los Angeles, and succeeded in making Carvalho look weak.

Post your rally photos and videos on social media. Tag @UTLANow and @SEIULocal99, and use the hashtag #United4LA!

On Friday, our member bargaining team goes back to the table with the district. After the largest rally since our 2019 strike and our commitment of solidarity with SEIU 99, the district better come ready with big movement on our core demands.

Solidarity with SEIU 99 — Strike Dates Announced

SEIU 99 members have been working under a contract that expired in 2021 and are among the lowest paid employees in LAUSD — $25,000 a year on average. In December, they declared impasse with the district and in February, SEIU 99 members voted 96% yes to authorize a strike.

Today, SEIU Local 99 announced dates for their Three-Day Unfair Practice Charge strike.

• Tuesday, March 21

• Wednesday, March 22

• Thursday, March 23

A strong contract for SEIU 99 members — who help keep our schools running and students ready to learn — is a win for our schools and communities, and helps us win the contract that we need.

UTLA will strike in solidarity and UTLA’s elected leaders are encouraging all 35,000 UTLA educators to join SEIU 99 in a solidarity strike.

This is our opportunity to demonstrate our collective power as we push to win our Beyond Recovery contract demands this school year.

Carvalho and the district have been dragging their feet in our contract negotiations for TEN MONTHS. But now, our solidarity with SEIU 99 and the threat of both an SEIU 99 strike and a UTLA solidarity strike have pushed Carvalho into panic mode, trying to wrangle any support he can get. 

On Monday, Carvalho alerted all employees, parents, and the media that he will likely choose to close schools during SEIU 99’s anticipated strike. Reducing the number of days in the school year puts LAUSD at risk of significant financial penalties from the state and, as we saw in October, any changes to the calendar to avoid those financial penalties must be negotiated with UTLA.

No more delays. No more deceit. No more disrespect. Carvalho and the district tried to cover up the educator shortage crisis and have continuously stalled and delayed bargaining. They are amassing nearly $5 billion in projected reserves and refuse to invest in us and our students. They refuse to act while we struggle to get by.

Standing together with SEIU 99, we will use our collective power to fight for the schools we deserve.

MARCH 15 UNITED FOR LA SCHOOLS

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for March 17, making it essential that we send a message to the whole city at our United for LA Schools Rally on March 15. Carvalho wants the public to believe that education workers are to blame for "disruption to instruction." The reality is Carvalho and the district's inaction is creating the crisis that we and our students are facing.

The district is stockpiling billions of dollars in unused funds. Over the previous two school years, the district took more than $1.3 billion of unspent funds and moved it to the reserve. By the end of this school year, the district is projected to add another nearly $1.6 billion in unspent funds to the reserve, raising the total to nearly $5 billion.

Meanwhile, Carvalho and the district have —

REFUSED to pay salaries that attract and retain educators

REFUSED to reduce class sizes so we can give students individual support

REFUSED to invest in what students, their families, and communities have said they need for success

On March 15, we show the city what the real problem is. UTLA and SEIU Local 99, LAUSD's two largest unions, will stand together in a citywide rally for our demands. Tens of thousands of education workers, who are in schools working directly with students every day, rallying outside City Hall will make it clear that Carvalho is out of touch with what our schools and our city need.

December 5 Regional Rallies made it clear that we are strong and have the power of students, parents, and communities standing with us. 

11.28.22.

The pattern at the bargaining table has stayed the same for the past seven months. LAUSD refuses to work with our proposals or bring any real solutions because they know that delaying an agreement works to their advantage. But we cannot spend another year underpaid, understaffed, and overworked.

So December 5, we remind them of our power.

Regional Rallies

Monday, December 5

at 4 PM:

1. LAUSD Local District NW

6621 Balboa Blvd. (Corner of Balboa & Haynes)

Lake Balboa, CA 91406

2. LAUSD Headquarters

333 S Beaudry Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90017

3. Mas Fukai Park

15800 Brighton Ave.

Gardena, CA 90247

Pick a location and sign up at utla.net/dec5

10.05.22

98% YES on Calendar Agreement

UTLA members have overwhelmingly approved the agreement on the calendar and optional days, with 98% Yes ballots (17,758) and 2% No (359). Voting was conducted October 2 to October 4.

Under the terms of the agreement, the school year will not be extended by any days, and the four optional days will be moved to the winter and spring breaks instead of being on four randomly scheduled Wednesdays. October 19 will now be a regular instructional day instead of an optional day for students and staff, and the boycott action has shifted to school-site picketing before school.

9.27.22.

Huge Win: LAUSD Backs Down on Calendar

In April, LAUSD Superintendent Carvalho announced, without talking to UTLA members or LAUSD families, that he would be unilaterally adding 4 days to the school year by adding 4 optional “accelerated days” in the middle of four educational weeks.

UTLA members demanded that LAUSD roll back this plan and keep our regular school calendar intact.  When Carvalho refused, UTLA members voted by 93% to boycott the first optional day on October 19.

Today, LAUSD backed down in the face of our unity. They agreed that the school year will not be extended by any days. They are moving the optional days to the winter and spring breaks. Educators who want to participate can, but the days will no longer interfere with instruction on randomly scheduled Wednesdays, disrupt lesson plans, or extend our 2022-2023 contractual school year.

UTLA members will vote on the tentative agreement on the calendar this Sunday through Tuesday. Pending member ratification of the agreement, October 19 will revert to a regular instructional day.

This victory is due to our collective readiness to stand against a PR stunt that wasn't going to move the needle on student learning. Now we double-down on fighting for long-term solutions that will.

Keep Up the Momentum: School-Site Pickets October 19

This is an early victory in a longer fight. The district is not off the hook for their flawed priorities and refusal to meaningfully bargain over the broad needs of our students and the need to attract and retain educators during a historic shortage crisis. Carvalho sits on $3.4 billion in reserves and refuses to offer a decent pay raise, class-size reduction for all students, more mental health staff, or other essential improvements. 

October 19 will be a day of action for our contract demands! While October 19 will be a regular school day and therefore not subject to a boycott, UTLA members will instead unite across LA in morning school-site picketing to focus attention on building a foundation of educational supports in every school, 180 days a year, as called for in the UTLA Beyond Recovery Platform.

Bargaining Team Recommends YES Vote

UTLA members will vote on the tentative agreement on the calendar from Sunday, October 2, to Tuesday, October 4. Look for the link in your non-LAUSD email account.

The UTLA Bargaining Team recommends a YES Vote. The agreement:

• Achieves our ultimate goal of keeping the school calendar intact with no extension into summer break

• Limits the disruption of the optional days by moving them to existing breaks

• Reflects our power when we organize. Now we double-down on organizing to win a 20% raise, districtwide class-size reduction, and other better ways for LAUSD to spend its $3.4 billion surplus.

Itinerant staff - that means you!

Do you work at multiple LAUSD sites? 

The UTLA Itinerant Assignments Declaration Form is for all members who are not assigned to a single site, including:

• Substitute Teachers

• Itinerant Health and Human Services Professionals

• Traveling teachers and some other teachers on special assignments who are assigned to more than one site

Info on where you work is needed for UTLA membership rosters and the upcoming UTLA elections for Officers and Board of Director members.

If you want to run for UTLA office, the form must be completed by September 30. Read more about being a candidate here.

If you want to vote for Area Directors representing the UTLA Area where you work,

the form must be completed by December 16. 

Coalition victory: LAUSD employees secure healthcare for 2022 and 2023

After six months of negotiations, the LAUSD employee unions have reached an agreement with the district that preserves healthcare for calendar years 2022 and 2023.

“Unity among all eight unions was the key to winning an agreement that upholds healthcare as a key driver for recruiting and retaining employees,” said UTLA Treasurer Alex Orozco, UTLA’s representative on the Health Benefits Committee.

The agreement delivers on all of our shared priorities:

• We won the current health plans for calendar years 2022 and 2023 by securing increases in funding levels to current market pricing. The district had tried to freeze healthcare funding rates at 2017 levels, which would have led to cuts to coverage and/or higher out-of-pocket costs to employees.

• We won a multi-year agreement that expires on December 2023. The district had wanted only a one-year extension for 2022 so they could come back for cuts next year.

• We won the protection of healthcare reserves to better position us for negotiations in 2024. The increased funding levels help ensure that reserves are healthy at the end of the term, when healthcare will be negotiated again.

Carvalho sent out a statement last night, claiming support for the agreement. Nowhere in Carvalho’s disingenuous statement does he admit that his district team pushed for six months for substantive cuts that would have forced families to pay more for healthcare.

It was a collective struggle to move the district from its original position. All labor partners have committed to stay engaged and continue organizing together to make sure that our next healthcare fight is also a successful one.

The final, signed copy of the agreement will be posted at utla.net when it is received from the district.