California teachers’ unions collaborate with state officials to impose cuts
By Allison Smith and Tom Carter
13 June 2011
The United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) has once again collaborated with the Democratic Party to impose sharp cuts on Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers and K-12 education.
Earlier this month, teachers approved a contract that includes as many as six unpaid furlough days. This amounts to an effective pay cut under conditions of an all-out attack on teachers throughout California. The contract was approved by a vote of 83 percent in favor and 17 percent against. The original contract proposal by the LAUSD included more than 5,000 layoffs as well as 12 unpaid furlough days.
The vote, far from being an indicator of widespread agreement with the furloughs, is instead an expression of teachers’ fears that if they did not