Latest: Los Angeles teachers OK contract, will end strike
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the Los Angeles teachers strike (all times local):
8 p.m.
Los Angeles teachers have approved a contract deal between their union and school officials, ending a six-day strike in the nation’s second-largest district.
Although all votes haven’t been counted, the union said Tuesday evening that a “supermajority” of its 30,000 members voted in favor of the tentative agreement.
Educators will go back to work Wednesday morning. They walked off the job Jan. 14.
The agreement reached shortly before dawn Tuesday gives teachers a raise, additional support staff and smaller class sizes.
The Board of Education is expected to move quickly to ratify the deal.
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2:30 p.m.
A tentative deal between Los Angeles school officials and the teachers union includes a 6 percent raise for educators, a slight reduction in some class sizes and additional support staff, including nurses and librarians.
The Los Angeles Unified School District released additional details after an agreement was reached Tuesday. Teachers will vote on the deal later in the day.
Officials say every campus will see an increase in nursing services over the next three school years. Teachers complained that some schools only had a nurse on staff once a week.
The new contract also eliminates a longstanding clause that gave the district authority over class sizes. Grades 4 through 12 will be reduced by one student during each of the next two school years and two pupils in 2021-2022.
Teachers are expected back in classrooms on Wednesday.
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12:25 p.m.
Striking Los Angeles teachers are optimistic their union leaders have negotiated a contract they can support.
Thousands of striking teachers were jubilant at a rally Tuesday after the mayor and union negotiators announced a tentative agreement with the superintendent of the nation’s second-largest school district.
Some Los Angeles Unified School District teachers were already declaring victory despite a lack of details about the agreement.
Some teachers at the boisterous rally outside City Hall say they trust their union and will vote for the pact later in the day unless it doesn’t go far enough in reducing class size or weakens their health care.
One high school teacher, Sharon Maloney, says she’s leaning against supporting it because she’s skeptical the district made enough concessions. She says she’ll need to see the details before she supports it.
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9:52 a.m.
Contentious contract negotiations have resulted in a tentative deal between Los Angeles school officials and the teachers union that will allow striking educators to return to classrooms on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the deal Tuesday. He says it requires the approval of the teachers and the Board of Education.
Tens of thousands of members of United Teachers Los Angeles walked off the job Jan. 14 for the first time in 30 years.
Schools stayed open, staffed by a skeleton crew of substitute teachers and administrators.
The Los Angeles Unified School District is projecting a half-billion-dollar deficit this budget year and has billions obligated for pension payments and health coverage for retired teachers.
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7:46 a.m.
The office of Mayor Eric Garcetti says leaders of the Los Angeles Unified School District and the striking teachers union will give an update on contract negotiations.
Garcetti says the two sides will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m.
The mayor’s office said earlier that the latest round of contract bargaining ended before dawn after 21 hours.
The strike by United Teachers Los Angeles is the first against the huge school district in 30 years.
It began on Jan. 14 following 21 months of unsuccessful talks.
The latest bargaining began last week after efforts by the mayor to seek a resolution.
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7 a.m.
The office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says the latest bargaining session between striking teachers and the Los Angeles Unified School District lasted 21 hours and ended before dawn Tuesday.
The mayor’s office says negotiators plan to reconvene at 9:15 a.m.
The update on the status of talks comes as the strike by United Teachers Los Angeles enters its second week.
Thousands of educators walked off the job and onto picket lines Jan. 14 for the first time in 30 years.
The union and the school district are at odds over issues including salary, class sizes and support staff.
Schools have stayed open during the strike with substitute teachers in classrooms.
Negotiations between the two sides continued through the long holiday weekend.
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6:50 a.m.
Hundreds of firefighters are marching in downtown Los Angeles to support public school teachers as their strike enters its second week.
The firefighters are taking time out Tuesday morning from a conference of the International Association of Fire Fighters to back the teachers.
Thousands of educators represented by United Teachers Los Angeles walked off the job and onto picket lines Jan. 14 for the first time in 30 years.
The union and the Los Angeles Unified School District are at odds over issues including salary, class sizes and support staff.
Schools have stayed open during the strike with substitute teachers in classrooms.
Negotiations between the two sides continued through the long holiday weekend.
The district is the second largest in the U.S. after New York City.
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