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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

State labor panel to file injunction in charter school unionization push - LA Times

State labor panel to file injunction in charter school unionization push - LA Times:

State labor panel to file injunction in charter school unionization push








 California's labor oversight board said it intends to file for an injunction to prohibit one of the state's largest charter organizations from interfering with efforts to unionize teachers.

Leaders of United Teachers Los Angeles had asked the Public Employment Relations Board to seek the injunction, accusing Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, a charter organization, of intimidating employees, denying organizers access to school buildings and blocking emails. In its request, the union said there would be irreparable harm if the courts did not intervene.

The board enforces collective bargaining laws for most of the state's public employees.

Leaders of the charter organization have denied wrongdoing.

The push to unionize educators at Alliance has drawn national attention. Charters are publicly funded, privately managed and traditionally nonunion.

Organizing teachers at Alliance's 27 campuses could alter the path of school reform in Los Angeles. If successful, the move could help the teachers union as it seeks to stem years of membership decline. Alliance charter schools would no longer be able to hire and fire staff without union rules — a factor they say helps retain quality educators.State labor panel to file injunction in charter school unionization push - LA Times: