UTLA goes to court in response to a third desperate legal threat by LAUSD
LOS ANGELES — UTLA is going to court this week to respond to yet another threat of desperate legal action by LAUSD. Depending on the outcome, and if no agreement is reached, the Jan. 10 strike date could be moved a few days later. On Friday, the federal court threw out Beutner’s attempt at an offensive special education injunction to stop a strike, and we expect PERB to dismiss his request for another injunction based on unsubstantiated bad faith bargaining claims in the next few days.
UTLA goes to court proactively this week to scuttle his third attempt at an injunction, based on a disingenuous claim that UTLA did not give sufficient notice of our intent to strike.
“He is desperate to contain our collective power and the only way he knows how to do it is through costly legal maneuvers,” said UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl. “We are going to court to proactively fight against it and to defend our right to advocate for students and strike if necessary.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, UTLA will be meeting with LAUSD in the hopes that the district will finally have a meaningful proposal to settle the contract. We are going into bargaining with an open mind, but the onus is on Beutner to give us something different instead of more of the same unacceptable proposals. UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl will also be a part of this meeting.
“UTLA will engage in whatever talks are possible to avoid a strike, but the district must be willing to spend a substantial portion of its record-breaking $1.9 billion reserve to serve our students and must engage our full package of proposals rather than dismiss them,” Caputo-Pearl said.
If Beutner succeeds with his latest legal maneuver, it will be a fleeting victory because it will only delay UTLA’s right to strike by a few days.
“Beutner is pursuing a flurry of desperate lawsuits because that’s who he has on his side: expensive anti-union lawyers,” Caputo-Pearl said. “Beutner is running scared from the movement we have built for public education—the movement that led to a decisive 98% strike vote, the movement that put more than 50,000-plus parents, teachers, community members, and students in the streets on December 15, and the movement that will carry us to victory for our schools.”UTLA goes to court in response to a third desperate legal threat by LAUSD | UTLA