Rally for labor pact

Rally for labor pact - SignOnSanDiego.com

CHULA VISTA — Hundreds of South County educators rallied outside Sweetwater Union High School District headquarters yesterday in an effort to pressure officials to settle an impasse in labor talks.

While district and union representatives met with a mediator in the boardroom, about 400 teachers, students and supporters chanted outside.

“What do we want?” they asked. “A contract!” the group yelled. “When do we want it? Now!”

The Sweetwater Education Association's 1,800 teachers have been working without a contract for about 15 months, prompting picketing and limiting work to contracted hours. Last month, nearly eight out of 10 teachers at Chula Vista Middle School called in sick in what a district official alleged was a “concerted activity” meant to put pressure on the district in its negotiations with the union.

Class sizes are at the heart of the dispute.