La Habra teachers will vote on strike Tuesday, union says
LA HABRA – Teachers in the La Habra City School District will vote Tuesday evening on whether to authorize a strike after the district imposed a contract that includes permanent salary reductions and benefit caps, the teachers' union president said Friday.
After months of failed negotiations, the teachers and La Habra City School District officials spent their first day back at the bargaining table on Friday, less than two weeks after a neutral fact finder confirmed the district's dire financial situation, but said proposed cuts are too drastic.
After spending all day bargaining, the district wasn't willing to budge from its proposal of permanent pay cuts and reductions in the length of the school year, said Danette Brown, president of the La Habra Education Association.
"I'm a little upset," Brown said. "We were making some progress and talking all day ... they stormed out of the room and said they are imposing their last, best and final offer."
La Habra City School District Superintendant Susan Belenardo couldn't be reached for comment.
Even if the teachers vote to authorize a strike, Brown said she didn't know if they would follow through with a strike or when it might begin.