Skip to Content
News

L.A. Teachers Strike Vote Update: LAUSD and Union Exchange Accusations as Voting Winds Down

[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he Los Angeles school district and teachers union lobbed accusations at one another this week as Mayor Eric Garcetti inserted himself into the fray, further ratcheting up tensions in the middle of the union’s strike authorization vote. If approved, L.A. Unified could see its first teachers strike in 30 years.

The Los Angeles Unified School District on Tuesday filed a complaint against the Los Angeles Teachers Union with the California’s Public Employment Relations Board for “bad faith” bargaining, accusing the union of a “take-it-or-leave it” style of negotiating and for "almost never compromising."

“UTLA openly talked about a strike long before the parties even began negotiations, let alone reached impasse,” the district’s lawyer, David Holmquist, said in a statement. “It is now conducting a strike vote even though the parties have not even held their first mediation session.”

UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl (left) and L.A. schools superintendent Austin Beutner (right).
UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl (left) and L.A. schools superintendent Austin Beutner (right).

The district’s charge comes less than a day after the teachers union filed its own complaint with the state’s labor board, accusing the school district of unfair labor practices for “unlawful interference with the union’s strike authorization vote and for failure to provide key public information and financial documents as they relate to bargaining.”

The union also accused the district of threatening to leak “confidential personnel records” of UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl to public radio station KPCC before the strike-authorization.

RELATED: UTLA's Unfair Practice Charge as filed with the Public Employment Relations Board.

The alleged threat is bizarre, if true, as it appears the subject of those records was covered by The Los Angeles Times back in March 2014 and centered on Caputo-Pearl's campaigning for the position of UTLA president off-campus and during school time.

As if things couldn’t get any weirder, Mayor Garcetti involved himself into the mess, offering to mediate between the two sides, according to the Times. While School Superintendent Austin Beutner was reportedly receptive to the mayor’s involvement, the union responded coolly to mayoral mediation, reportedly saying: “At this point, UTLA believes the best way to get an agreement is through state mediation.”

The war of words is unfolding while thousands of the city’s teachers cast ballots on whether to authorize the union to strike, but what impact this back-and-forth will have, if any, remains to be seen. The votes get counted this Thursday.

RELATED: L.A. Teachers Will Vote On Authorizing Their First Strike In A Generation

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

No Cops, No Chaos: Long Beach’s Peaceful Protests vs. L.A.’s Police-Fueled Clashes

Like my favorite Basque band, Eskorbuto, famously proclaimed in their political anthem: “Mucha Policia, Poca Diversion.” The logic is straightforward: No police, no violence; too many police, too much chaos.

June 18, 2025

Kids of Taqueros Take Over East L.A. Taco Stand to Keep Families Safe

Jonathan, his brother, two sisters, and the children of other employees announced last Friday via social media that they would be temporarily taking over the business, saying: “We continue the work in honor of our parents.”

June 18, 2025

L.A.’s DIY Underground Hardcore Scene Raises $10K For L.A.’s Undocumented Families Affected by ICE

"We're in crisis mode," says Victor Campos, the Director of Mosh for Youth. "Immigrants build our communities, and they thrive with immigrants. If we look at who's being taken by the raids, it's hard-working Latinos. They're going to Home Depots, to swap meets, to places of business, and taking our people away. Families are left broken and shattered by these raids, so it's our responsibility as individuals with platforms to do something about it."

June 17, 2025

Unhoused Residents and a Chef Getting Off Work Get Unintentionally Caught in Violent Police Actions Against Protesters in DTLA

A Black woman in a wheelchair who did not appear to be involved in the protests found herself trapped among dozens of protesters. When a line of police advanced towards her and the remaining protesters, two people put their bodies on the line a sthey struggled to move her wheelchair away from the police.

June 17, 2025

Who Allowed ICE To Arrest Vendors and Customers at The Santa Fe Swap Meet?

Suspicion is falling on management, despite its formal denial that employees knew anything about it. "“Who let them in? That’s what we want to know,” said a vendor. “They have speakers; they could have alerted people,” said one vendor.

June 16, 2025

Sheriff’s Department Says Little Girl Seen In Viral Video Was Taken Into ‘Protective Custody’ by DCFS, Not ICE

L.A. TACO has confirmed that the viral video posted today by Union Del Barrio showing a little girl crying in the backseat of a truck has to do with a warrant for a murder investigation.

June 16, 2025
See all posts