L.A. Teachers Strike Produces Added Hiring, Vote on Charter-School Limits

The Teachers’ contract ratified Jan. 22 in Los Angeles that ended a six-day strike and included a “pathway” to cap the number of charter schools was called a “paradigm shift” toward prioritizing public schools by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

After going more than a year under an expired contract, Teachers represented by AFT affiliate United Teachers Los Angeles voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in September, and on Jan. 14, they mounted a picket line. After intense negotiations the following weekend, the union, which represents 34,000 educators in the district, reached a two-year agreement with the Los Angeles Unified School District that included 6-percent retroactive raises and added 300 school nurses, 77 counselors and, for middle and high schools, 82 librarians.