{"id":193140,"date":"2021-03-06T16:15:04","date_gmt":"2021-03-06T21:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=193140"},"modified":"2021-03-06T16:15:09","modified_gmt":"2021-03-06T21:15:09","slug":"los-angeles-teachers-union-votes-to-resist-a-premature-return-to-school-sites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/los-angeles-teachers-union-votes-to-resist-a-premature-return-to-school-sites\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Teachers Union Votes \u2018To Resist A Premature\u2019 Return To School Sites"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flos-angeles-teachers-union-votes-to-resist-a-premature-return-to-school-sites%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=193140&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Hollywood-High.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>The largest teachers union in Los Angeles announced on Friday that its members \u201cvoted overwhelmingly to resist a premature and unsafe physical return to school sites,\u201d backing \u201csafety demands\u201d they say must be fulfilled before resuming in-person instruction in the nation\u2019s second-largest public school district.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utla.net\/news\/91-yes-utla-members-overwhelmingly-unite-behind-safe-return\">According<\/a> to United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), 91% of the 24,580 ballots cast supported union leadership\u2019s recommendation \u201cto refuse to return for full or hybrid physical reopening of schools\u201d until certain conditions are met. The voting took place over a five-day period, beginning Monday, March 1, and ending Friday at 5:00 pm. Only 2,100 members opposed the proposal, the union said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis vote signals that in these most trying times, our members will not accept a rushed return that would endanger the safety of educators, students, and families,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utla.net\/news\/91-yes-utla-members-overwhelmingly-unite-behind-safe-return\">said<\/a> UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThis vote signals that in these most trying times, our members will not accept a rushed return that would endanger the safety of educators, students, and families,\u201d UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said. Read here: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fD9YkzFju1\">https:\/\/t.co\/fD9YkzFju1<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WKE2ttqL2F\">pic.twitter.com\/WKE2ttqL2F<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 United Teachers Los Angeles (@UTLAnow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UTLAnow\/status\/1368068160335663105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 6, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>UTLA represents more than 33,000 educators, counselors, and librarians working in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), which serves <a href=\"https:\/\/achieve.lausd.net\/about\">more than<\/a> 600,000 K-12 students at over 1,000 schools. Most students began taking classes online last March in an attempt to help contain coronavirus transmission.<\/p>\n<p>Myart-Cruz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/live\/?v=2605452579747349&#038;ref=watch_permalink\">vowed<\/a> more than a week ago to \u201creject any fixed date that ignores the elements of a safe return.\u201d She told UTLA members that they would decide whether to support \u201cthree key safety demands\u201d for returning to campus that union officials had presented to LAUSD:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Los Angeles County must move out of the most restrictive \u201cpurple tier\u201d of California\u2019s reopening plan.<\/li>\n<li>Staff required to return to in-person work are either fully vaccinated or provided access to full vaccination.<\/li>\n<li>Safety protocols must be in place, including personal protective equipment (PPE), social distancing, ventilation, and a cleaning regimen.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbclosangeles.com\/news\/local\/utla-teachers-union-los-angeles-coroanvirus-classrooms-covid-19-teachers\/2543574\/\">According<\/a> to a KNBC News report broadcast on Friday night, \u201cUTLA has said they do not believe the Los Angeles Unified School District will be able to meet all of these needs by a proposed April reopen date, and they are prepared to strike if teachers are forced back.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">UTLA members vote overwhelmingly to resist returning to school sites and say they will strike if teachers are forced back. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NBCLA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Darsha Philips (@DarshaPhilips) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DarshaPhilips\/status\/1368072310792495112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 6, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>UTLA members were presented with a yes-or-no question that read as follows:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cI will refuse to return for a full or hybrid physical reopening of schools until LA County is out of the purple tier, staff are either fully vaccinated or provided access to full vaccination, and safety conditions are in place at our schools including PPE, physical distancing, ventilation, and daily cleaning.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>A YES vote means<\/strong>\u00a0you agree with the UTLA leadership and will join your union brothers, sisters, and siblings in organizing to resist a forced return to school sites until the three conditions for safety mentioned above have been met.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>A NO vote means<\/strong>\u00a0you are willing to physically return to your school or place of work under unsafe conditions, even if the infection rates are still in the purple tier, without vaccinations, and without all of the safety conditions in place, such as PPE, physical distancing, ventilation, or daily cleaning.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Things could get nasty. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ISjQOfjDKx\">pic.twitter.com\/ISjQOfjDKx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/latsondheimer\/status\/1365022101040558080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 25, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Myart-Cruz said the vote count was conducted by an outside company called Integrity Voting Systems.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast March when educators first closed our classrooms and offices, we didn\u2019t know that a year later we would still be physically separated from the students and communities we love,\u201d Myart-Cruz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utla.net\/news\/91-yes-utla-members-overwhelmingly-unite-behind-safe-return\">said<\/a> in a UTLA news release. \u201cIt has been a painful and difficult year for everyone. As much as educators long to be back to in-person instruction, it must be done safely for the sake of students, staff, and families. That has been our guiding principal (sic) from Day 1 of this pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Critics of the union and some parents advocating for in-person learning to return <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxla.com\/news\/utla-asking-teachers-to-vote-on-returning-to-classrooms?taid=603a45d9c0731c0001226bcf&#038;utm_campaign=trueanthem&#038;utm_medium=trueanthem&#038;utm_source=twitter\">objected<\/a> to the ballot question\u2019s wording, which they believe contained loaded language.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seems to me that they want zero risks of anything happening,\u201d said Raj Raghavan, an LAUSD parent, in a virtual interview with KNBC. \u201cIf that\u2019s the case, then we shouldn\u2019t open the schools at all, ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, UTLA is allied with several progressive groups and coalitions throughout Southern California that support the union\u2019s demands and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utla.net\/news\/wake-successful-teachers-strike-reclaim-our-schools-la-releases-case-study-parent-and-student\">joined<\/a> striking teachers on the picket line during a six-day work stoppage in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith this vote, teachers are saying what I am hearing from parents in my community \u2013 it\u2019s just not safe to physically return to schools yet,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utla.net\/news\/91-yes-utla-members-overwhelmingly-unite-behind-safe-return\">said<\/a> Alicia Baltazar, an LAUSD parent representing Reclaim Our Schools, an education reform group allied with UTLA. \u201cI want to thank teachers for taking this stand and for all that you have been doing to educate my child during this pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Los Angles County <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/2021\/02\/26\/l-a-county-allocates-11-of-coronavirus-vaccines-to-teachers-as-new-lausd-mega-clinic-launches\/\">began<\/a> administering coronavirus vaccine doses to educators, including those working in LAUSD. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2021-02-28\/essential-workers-teachers-and-others-will-be-eligible-for-vaccine-beginning-monday\">According<\/a> to the Los Angeles Times, officials warned that a limited supply could slow the pace of injections.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLA County is making progress toward the necessary conditions for a safe return, but we are not there yet,\u201d UTLA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utla.net\/news\/91-yes-utla-members-overwhelmingly-unite-behind-safe-return\">said<\/a> in Friday\u2019s press release. \u201cSome educators are having difficulty securing vaccination appointments, infection rates are still too high in many of the hard-hit communities we serve, and COVID variants could change the trajectory of the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>City News Service <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbclosangeles.com\/news\/local\/utla-teachers-union-los-angeles-coroanvirus-classrooms-covid-19-teachers\/2543574\/\">reports<\/a>, \u201cwhen Los Angeles Unified School District campuses will reopen for students remains unclear,\u201d and:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $6.6 billion legislative package Friday that offers incentives for schools to resume in-person instruction for students up to second grade by April 1 and provides funds to help recoup learning lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly by extending the school year\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The legislation creates a $2 billion incentive pool, with money doled out to schools that reopen campuses for students in pre-kindergarten through second grade, as well as high-need students of all ages. The money will go toward safety improvements, such as ventilation systems and protective equipment.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The proposal does not order schools to reopen, but those that fail to do so by April 1 will lose 1% of their share of the funds for [every day] they miss the deadline.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The money will be available to schools in counties that have an average daily new COVID-19 case rate of less than 25 per 100,000 residents, which covers the vast majority of the state, including all of Los Angeles County. \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Under the new legislation, schools in counties that advance out of the most restrictive \u201cpurple\u201d tier of the state\u2019s four-level \u201cBlueprint for a Safer Economy\u201d and into the less-restrictive \u201cred\u201d tier would be required to open all elementary grades and at least one middle or high school grade to qualify for the incentive funds.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>After Newsom had first announced the incentivized reopening plan last weekend, Myart-Cruz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/la-teachers-union-claims-california-is-propagating-structural-racism-by-reopening-schools\">said<\/a> it unfairly put districts that primarily serve students of color at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you condition funding on reopening schools, that money will only go to white and wealthier schools that do not have the transmission rates that low-income black and brown communities do,\u201d she said at a press conference on Monday. \u201cThis is a recipe for propagating structural racism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact is that the plan does not supersede our legal right to bargain working conditions with LAUSD and our continued determination to do so,\u201d she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/la-teachers-union-claims-california-is-propagating-structural-racism-by-reopening-schools\">added<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Myart-Cruz <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BillFOXLA\/status\/1366964420392357889\">reportedly<\/a> said wealthy parents were behind the push to reopen L.A. public schools, which drew objections from some parents in the South L.A. region of the city.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">TONIGHT: Some black parents in South LA are outraged after hearing UTLA&#8217;s president say that wealthy parents are behind push to reopen LA schools, &#038; that reopening now is racist. They tell me she does not speak for them &#038; they&#8217;re holding a reopening rally on Sat. in Watts <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FOXLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FOXLA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zdNeNYve0N\">pic.twitter.com\/zdNeNYve0N<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BillFOXLA\/status\/1366964420392357889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 3, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to FOX 11 News investigative reporter Bill Melugin, some black parents in South L.A. were \u201coutraged\u201d by Myart-Cruz\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n<p>Melugin spoke to Renee Bailey, described as a South L.A. mom, who called Myart-Cruz\u2019s comments \u201cvery generalized and almost racist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a culture, black and brown people don\u2019t want to be generalized,\u201d Bailey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxla.com\/news\/south-la-families-say-minorities-want-schools-to-reopen-disagree-with-utla-presidents-remarks\">said<\/a>. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be stereotyped and to say reopening schools is structural racism, that\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s almost like minority families want the schools to reopen more than anyone else, and the reason why I say that is education, for us, our culture, is a stairway out of poverty, so every day that our kids aren\u2019t in school, that\u2019s just a day closer to poverty for them,\u201d Ms. Bailey continued.<\/p>\n<p>Melugin posted a flyer on social media promoting a March 13 rally to reopen LAUSD schools that he said was organized by South L.A. parents.<\/p>\n<p>KNBC 4 News reported on Friday night that \u201cLos Angeles is expected to soon move into the red tier\u2026 But the sticking point that may push back the reopening of schools: PPE, ventilation, and sanitation. UTLA has said that they do not trust LAUSD to adequately provide these things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTeaching in a pandemic is not easy,\u201d Myart-Cruz said. \u201cStanding up for students and our most marginalized communities is not easy. But our members continue to do both of these things, day in and day out because that\u2019s our job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/union-officials-urge-los-angeles-teachers-to-support-safety-demands-to-return-to-school-sites\">Union Officials Urge Los Angeles Teachers To Support \u2018Safety Demands\u2019 To Return To School Sites<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/black-lives-matter-member-elected-to-lead-los-angeles-largest-teachers-union\">Black Lives Matter Member Elected To Lead Los Angeles\u2019 Largest Teachers Union<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/la-teachers-union-claims-california-is-propagating-structural-racism-by-reopening-schools\">L.A. Teachers Union Claims California Is \u2018Propagating Structural Racism\u2019 By Reopening Schools<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/teachers-union-leads-coalition-demanding-a-real-lockdown-in-los-angeles\">Teachers Union Leads Coalition Demanding A \u2018Real\u2019 Lockdown In Los Angeles<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The largest teachers union in Los Angeles announced on Friday that its members \u201cvoted overwhelmingly to resist a premature and unsafe physical return to school sites,\u201d backing \u201csafety demands\u201d they &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2274920,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Hollywood-High.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Los Angeles Teachers Union Votes \u2018To Resist A Premature\u2019 Return To School Sites","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-193140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Hollywood-High.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Los Angeles Teachers Union Votes \u2018To Resist A Premature\u2019 Return To School Sites","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2274920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}