UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl

Spending cuts. Layoffs. Early retirement packages. Reductions in benefits.

These needs, which were among recommendations made by LA Unified’s independent Financial Review Panel on Tuesday, are the kind that would make any union leader lose sleep. But three full days since the doom and gloom report was presented at the LA Unified school board meeting, with recommendations that would hit the district’s employees hard, the unions have had little if anything to say about it — even after several board members described the need for an all-hands-on-deck collaboration to forestall financial instability.

Messages seeking comment from three of the district’s largest unions —  those representing the teachers, administrators and staff workers — produced only a response from SEIU Local 99, a statement that does not suggest it agrees or disagrees with the financial panel’s conclusions.

The union leaders had an early opportunity to respond. After the presentation, board President Steve Zimmer invited the district’s labor leaders to make any comments. Only Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of the teachers union, UTLA, accepted the offer, but he used the opportunity to attack the Broad Foundation‘s proposed charter school expansion plan due to the big impact it would have on district enrollment.

Declining enrollment is one of the reasons the panel foresees a loss of revenue in the coming years, and while the Broad plan would hit the district’s enrollment in an enormous way, the panel’s report does not take it into consideration. Even if the Broad plan were cancelled tomorrow, the panel’s dire financial predictions remain.

Among the predictions was a $600 million budget shortfall by 2019 if changes are not made. Among its recommendations that would hit LAUSD unions are:

• Reduce staff by 10,000 to accommodate decline of 100,000 students over the last six years.
• Offer early retirement packages to most senior staff.
• Encourage higher staff attendance to cut down on need for substitutes.
• Change ratio for benefit package to 90/10 (vs 100/0).
• Eliminate the teacher pool.
• Integrate pension entitlements with social security for those who have both.
• A new regulation to make staff pay for benefits extended to family.

When approached by LA School Report outside the Tuesday meeting to discuss the report, Caputo-Pearl doubled down on his Broad attacks.

“The most important finding that this panel came up with is that there needs to be an increase in enrollment, and the Broad plan does just the opposite,” Caputo-Pearl said.

Caputo-Pearl and Juan Flecha, president of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) did not respond to messages yesterday, seeking comment about the specific cuts to jobs and benefits the panel recommends. Blanca Gallegos, spokeswoman for SEIU Local 99, which represents school cafeteria workers, custodians, special education assistants and other school workers, forwarded a statement from union Executive Director Max Arias that does not mention the potential layoffs or other recommendations from the panel,

“As LAUSD reviews the financial and operating issues raised by the panel’s report, we cannot forget that the District is, ultimately, charged with caring for the well-being and future of Los Angeles’ children,” the statement said. “Nearly half of SEIU Local 99’s members are parents of children attending LAUSD schools. Ensuring that working families in our communities have access to quality and affordable benefits has a direct impact on the safety and health of students.

“The reality is that LAUSD has vast purchasing power and needs to look at new and creative ways to leverage this power to ensure health care for all. This can include aligning with the City of Los Angeles to increase access to health care to more families, at a lower price. The challenges presented by this report require a continued partnership between the District and all stakeholders and SEIU Local 99 members are eager to have this conversation.”

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On the street, about 100 teachers rallied against the effort by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation that would more than double the number of charter school students in LA Unified over the next eight years. Some protestors wore masks of Broad, former superintendent John Deasy and members of the Walton family (of Walmart), who are also involved in the expansion effort. Some of the teachers sang to “I Will Survive” and chanted “Billionaires can’t teach our kids!”

Meanwhile, at the board meeting inside, a coalition of union leaders stood behind Max Arias, executive director of Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, as he stood with Juan Flecha of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA), representing principals, Alex Caputo-Pearl of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA); and other labor leaders. Arias gave an impassioned speech against Broad’s “secret charter plan to take public out of public schools.”

Referring to difficulties parents had in Philadelphia when the charter schools took over traditional schools, he said, “Students will have to leave and go far away to go to school, and there will be a loss of arts and music education, a loss of skilled cafeteria workers and fewer adults at every campus.”

With a capacity crowd of more than 150 in the meeting room, Arias challenged the Broad Foundation to change direction. He read the foundation’s education mission statement to help all children and said, “We invite Eli Broad to become part of the solution and join the district and build on the success of the district. Not politicize and privatize it.”

Another speaker, Rusty Hicks of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said the group was upset that Broad’s plan “is extreme, our students are not commodities,” adding, “Students deserve better.”

On the invitation of board member Scott Schmerelson, former board president Jackie Goldberg addressed the meeting. A former member of the state assembly and the LA City Council, she said, “I came after reading about the attempt of what I see is to privatize and destroy public education.”

Goldberg added, “I was an advocate of school choice from the very beginning, this was not a bad idea. The original goal of charter schools was try to help better approaches to teaching.”

LAUSD has a complex set of charter schools under its control. Affiliated charters are still under the UTLA bargaining agreements, but independent charters are exempt from other district rules, and many of them are non-union. LAUSD has more students in the charter system than any other school district in the country, about 100,000 students.
Goldberg said LAUSD should require the charters to share best practices with other schools. “It’s not supposed to be a race for dollars,” she said.

Goldberg is now part of TEAch, Transparency, Equity and Accountability for Charters, a nonprofit that she said is not anti-charter but is a group educating families about charter schools.

“I think a lot of parents don’t know that a charter school doesn’t have to meet the same strict earthquake safety standard that major hospital and schools have,” Goldberg said. “You are elected by the public. We need accountability, we need transparency,”

Max Arias of SEIU Local 99

The union representing school support personnel is pressing LAUSD to provide the same health benefits for all its members, fearing that the district wants to create a second-class level of employees.

Among the 35,000 members of Service Employees International Union Local 99 (SEIU) are about 7,000 who work as teacher aides, community representatives, after-school coaches and out-of-school program workers. These employees do not have access to LA Unified’s health plan because it is either too expensive, or they are not eligible.

“Some of our workers could be eligible for health care if they work one more hour, and others can’t afford the insurance offered with the 50 percent co-pay,” SEIU Local 99 executive director Max Arias told LA School Report. “We want all these people to get access to health care.”

The issue arose in June with an SEIU proposal to cover the workers; SEIU was expecting a counter-proposal. Instead, the district offered possible suggestions for the workers in the job categories in question, known as F and G units, that could include a new high-deductible plan, reduced benefits for new employees, no coverage for dependents and a cut in retirement benefits.

The teachers union, UTLA, has also expressed concerns about possible cuts in health benefits by the district. The district said no decisions have been made.

“We are worried that the options they are coming up with are even more extreme,” Arias said. “Sometimes, the only person who asks a child, ‘Did you do your homework today?’ is a bus driver or TA or one of our workers. We want the district to come up with a counter proposal and come back to the table again.”

Bargaining team member Andrea Weathersby, who works as a teacher assistant at Purche Elementary School, said that the district was unprepared at their meeting to respond.

“I believe four months is sufficient amount of time to look at our proposal and come up with some alternatives if they did not agree,” she said. “But to not even take the time to make a counter proposal means they are not taking us seriously. It seems that the district doesn’t want all employees to have healthcare.”

A district spokesman said no decisions have been made that would resolve the negotiations.

SEIU leaders said they want to avoid creating a second-class level of employees with lower benefits. They are urging their members to attend the next school board meeting on Oct. 13

“It is not a protest. We need to give the school board information and tell our stories, because we know some of the school board members support us,” Arias said. “We do not want to create an action that will make them uncomfortable.”

As one example, he cited a 70-year-old part-time worker who isn’t eligible for health care. “These are dedicated employees, and the school board needs to hear their stories so they can explain it to the public,” Arias said.

The union is also collecting cards and petition signatures online. So far, no more negotiation sessions are scheduled, but Arias said, “We can and will mobilize if we have to.”

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Introduced by Assembly Member Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, Assembly Bill 399 would make over 248,000 classified workers eligible for benefits over the summer months when they are not working in their schools. Classified workers are school employees that do not require certification for employment such as cafeteria workers, teaching assistants, bus drivers and others. LA Unified employs over 29,000 classified workers.

In a phone call with reporters today, supporters of the bill discussed a new report from the nonprofit Economic Roundtable titled “Cruel Summer: Economic Impacts of Extending Unemployment Benefits to Public K-12 Classified Workers in the State of California.” The report highlighted the economic hardship many classified employees currently suffer during the summer and said passage of the bill would generate economic benefits for the state.

“The least we can do is provide a respite for the cruel summer,” Ridley-Thomas said.

State law assumes that all school employees make enough during the nine-month school year to sustain themselves during the summer and are, therefore, ineligible for unemployment benefits. But the average classified school employee in the state makes $20,700 annually, compared with an average $80,817 for an administrator and $57,582 for a teacher, according to the report.

It is also assumed that the workers can find temporary jobs over the summer, but that is not always the case.

“Every summer seems to be like a nightmare, and usually the workers fall into a cycle of debt and poverty,” said Max Arias of SEIU Local 99, the union that represents LA Unified’s classified workers.

The report also found that 10 percent of classified workers statewide are living in poverty, 11 percent use food stamps, and 14 percent lack health insurance. If benefits were extended to classified workers, the report estimates that 28 percent would utilize them for a total of $153 million, but the economic stimulus to the state would be $187 million.

“During these summer months, workers could really use these benefits to stay afloat. Without it, they and local businesses where they would spend this added income go without,” said Patrick Burns of Economic Roundtable.

Esmeralda Torres, a special education assistant with LA Unified, explained how difficult it is to find work in the summer.

“Every summer we struggle. I wonder every year if I can afford to stay at the job I love, but education is my life. I can’t imagine another job,” she said. “I go around to the local restaurants and shops, but no one wants to hire me for such a short time.”

Ridley-Thomas said the bill is the third attempt in recent years to secure economic benefits for classified workers, but the first two never made it out of the Committee on Appropriations. His bill is headed there soon, but he said the outlook for this bill to pass is stronger.

“What has changed is the leadership of the House, in both Houses, and the revenues that are coming in via Proposition 30, which are significantly higher than anticipated,” Ridley-Thomas said.

Assembly Bill 399 would impact a wide array of school employees, including bus drivers, special education assistants, cafeteria workers and other classified school workers who under current law are not allowed to apply for benefits, according to a press release from SEIU Local 99, the union that represents LA Unified’s classified employees.

SEIU represents approximately 45,000 school employees in the greater Los Angeles area. There are currently around 215,000 classified employees working in California public schools and community colleges, according to the Classified School Employees Association.

The law currently prohibits classified employees from receiving summer benefits, and they are the only seasonal workers prohibited by California law from doing so, according to SEIU, separating them from people who work as sports stadium employees and farm workers.

“During the academic year, in school districts throughout California, classified school employees serve our children and support their learning with deep passion, commitment and hard work,” Ridley-Thomas, who represents a mid-city district in Los Angeles, said in a statement. “Yet, during the summer months when many schools are not in session, these dedicated education workers often struggle to pay their rent and feed their own children. This legislation begins a dialogue about correcting an inequity in our state’s current unemployment insurance system.”

The new bill would  recognize “the difference between the principal and the lunch lady,”  because “current law is based on the rationale that all school workers — from administrators to teachers to cafeteria workers  — earn enough during the school year to cover the three month summer recess period,” according to SEIU.

“Many school workers who have chosen to commit their life’s work to helping educate our children are forced to live in an endless cycle of debt and poverty,” said SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias in a statement. “We must do more to ensure school jobs are good jobs by improving wages, increasing full time work, expanding summer school, and ensuring school workers have access to unemployment benefits when they need them.”

Max Arias has been named Executive Director starting Feb 16. He is replacing Scott Washburn who has been serving as interim executive director since July, 2014.

The union represents teachers assistants, custodians, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers among other service positions.

“I am impressed with the mission of  Local 99 to develop a member-led organization that forms alliances with the community to not only strengthen the power of its members in the workplace, but to be a key player in the struggle for economic justice for all working people,” Arias said in a statement today.

“I look forward to working with the membership of Local 99 and with our partners to further our mission of achieving good jobs in our communities and a quality education for all,” Arias added.

Arias most recently served as the Assistant Director of Collective Bargaining and Representation for the Hospital Division of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) in Oakland, CA.

SEIU Local 99

After a town hall meeting for their members, the union representing nearly 40,000 cafeteria workers, bus drivers and special education assistance, among others, made the decision to support George McKenna in District 1, Tamar Galatzan in 3 and Bennett Kayser in 5.

Earlier this month SEIU announced plans to “work tirelessly” on behalf of school board President Richard Vladovic in his bid for a third term to represent District 7.

The union did not say how much financial support it would provide for the candidates it is endorsing.

“They demonstrate an understanding of the connection between economic and educational justice,” Scott Washburn, SEIU Local 99’s Interim Executive Director, said of the incumbents, adding, “As parents of students in their schools, Local 99 members serve as both workers and consumers. Earning a living wage creates added stability in the home and increases opportunities for academic growth and success.”

Backing Galatzan and Kayser is a turnabout for the union. It’s the first time it is backing either candidate, and in Kayser’s case, it’s a complete reversal. SEIU spent a lot of money trying to defeat him the last time he ran.

In statement today, the union explained its support for Galatzan, saying she “has demonstrated a commitment to the children, families and workers of LAUSD, as demonstrated by her support for Breakfast in the Classroom, the LCFF Equity Index and the adoption of the historic $15 minimum wage for LAUSD employees”

“I’m honored and gratified by the support of of the hard-working employees of SEIU,” Galatzan told LA School Report. “I look forward to working with them on behalf of our students.

As for Kayser, the union said he has been “a champion for early education, securing funding that will result in expanded educational opportunities for tens of thousands of children and has been a strong voice for living wages.”

McKenna is running unopposed, so it’s unclear what SEIU’s endorsement will mean for his campaign, but the union is throwing its support behind him anyway.

“In the past few months, George McKenna has already shown himself to be a willing partner in our efforts to increase opportunities for kids and families,” the union wrote.

Election day is March 3.

An “English only” sign was posted in the cafeteria of the Koreatown school a few weeks ago.

Most cafeteria workers there are native Spanish speakers, and 86 percent of students identify as Hispanic, yet the district called the directive a safety issue.

That explanation is falling flat with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), which represents district teachers, and Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents the cafeteria workers and other district employees like bus drivers and groundskeepers.

“When the majority of cafeteria workers at the school speak Spanish, how is it safer for those workers to communicate only in English in the cafeteria or anywhere on campus?” the unions said in a joint statement. “When a great majority of cafeteria and other service workers live in the communities where they work and are often parents of children attending LAUSD schools, how does an ‘English Only’ policy promote a welcoming school community?”

Speaking to LA School Report earier this month, Monica Carazo, a district spokeswoman, said the policy only applied specifically to when food was being handled.

“It’s not that we’re telling them you can’t speak Spanish or whatever language they speak,” Carazo said. “It’s just that for safety reasons, when they’re handling food everybody has to be on the same page. If someone says, ‘Hot plate!,’ we want everyone to understand.”

The unions said the sign sends the wrong message and are calling upon the district to review the “English only” policy.

“As the District seeks broader parent engagement and stronger ties with our immigrant communities, it is necessary to re-examine this rule. In a community as diverse as Los Angeles bilingual and multilingual skills should be celebrated,” the unions’ statement said.

Why the sign was only posted at Harvard Elementary is not clear, but according to CBS Los Angeles, it has started to worry workers at other district cafeterias.

“The workers are getting concerned. They’re asking, ‘Is this English-only policy going to be in effect for everybody?’” Gamaliel Andrade, a cafeteria worker at Farmdale Elementary, told CBS. See the full CBS report below.

By Raul Meza

The Worst Thing About My Job as a School Custodian Has Always Been the Pay. Now I’m Imagining What a Difference $15 Per Hour Will Make.

Monday through Friday, my full-time job is cleaning restrooms at Van Nuys High School. But that work is not the hardest part of my life. The hardest part is saying goodbye to my 4-year-old son when he asks me not to go to work again. In order to make ends meet, I also work weekends and nights.

I know I’m lucky to have a full-time job as a facility attendant in the Los Angeles Unified School District. I’ve done that for 10 years, and some days are better than others, but I like the work, and my co-workers are a supportive second family. We don’t interact much with students, but those of us who do custodial work are eyes and ears for teachers and administrators. If I see a student needs help of any kind, I take pride in letting the right people know.

The one thing that hasn’t been good about the job is the pay. When I started 10 years ago, I made $8.65 per hour; now I make $9.85 per hour. But I just learned that’s going to change. SEIU Local 99, the union that represents me and more than 30,000 other LAUSD school workers, just negotiated a new contract that will raise my pay to $15 per hour by 2016. This is a big deal for the 20,000 of us who make LAUSD’s lowest wages and are covered by the raises.

Read full story here.

Raul Meza works at Van Nuys High School and lives in Pacoima

The union said in a statement early this morning that 82 percent of the members approved the contract after three days of voting. The union consists of cafeteria workers, custodians, special education assistants and campus safety monitors.

Courtni Pugh, the union’s executive director, said in a statement that the agreement “sets a new standard for ending poverty in our schools. This will be felt in school districts across Los Angeles and across the country.”

She added, “This establishes a living wage that will mean mom and dad can help with their children’s homework instead of clocking in for their second job.”

In addition to the minimum wage increase for workers earning below $15 an hour, the agreement includes a projected 6.64 percent raise over three years for all other workers. The district has guaranteed a first year raise of 2 percent but said projected raises over the next two years are contingent on the money being available — an uncertainty that angered many union members despite their overwhelming support for ratifying the deal.

At the board meeting on July 1, Superintendent John Deasy acknowledged the uncertain nature of the deal, saying the district has some “belt-tightening” to do to meet the terms of the contract over the second and third years.

The agreement with the district also provides other improvements aimed at improving the quality of student services, such as increased staffing hours for the workers and a process for expanding OASIS, an SEIU local 99 that offers services such as health care, counseling, and tutoring to students and their parents directly on LAUSD campuses.

“This is a great day for Los Angeles,” Pugh said. “A $15 minimum wage at the country’s second largest employer lifts everyone up . . .The impact of this agreement will be felt for years to come.”

Previous Posts: LAUSD board approves labor deals — but not yet for teachers, JUST IN: SEIU Local 99 and LAUSD reach tentative deal, SEIU rolls out OASIS wellness program at 4 LAUSD schools

Alex Caputo-Pearl new president of the United Teachers Los Angeles

Alex Caputo-Pearl today assumed the office of President of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), a union battling with LA Unified for a larger salary increase than the two percent the district has offered.

UTLA remains one of the last of the district’s labor partners to reach agreement on a contract. The teachers had initially asked for a 17.6 percent raise, spread over an unspecified number of years. Negotiations continue, but there’s no clear indication an accord is anywhere in sight.

That’s especially problematic in that Caputo-Pearl, who spent his first day on the job in Denver, attending a National Education Association meeting, often suggested in campaigning for the presidency that he’d be willing to take the teachers on strike if a fair bargain is not reached.

And the possibility arose again today in a press release from the union.

It said Caputo-Pearl and his new team of officers are “hitting the ground running” on policy initiatives, which include “organizing members school-by-school, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and area-by-area to a place where we can strike if we feel it is necessary” to achieve other gains, such as smaller classes, pay increases, additional school staffing and elimination of “gotcha” evaluations and “teacher jail.”

The possibility of a walkout came up later in the day in a statement from the union, expressing support for SEIU Local 99, the school support staff union, which is waiting to finalize its contract offer. The district has proposed $15 an hour for all workers who make less and a 6.64 percent increase over three years for workers who make more than $15 an hour.

In its words of support, UTLA said, “UTLA stands with the LAUSD school employees who have demanded, and who deserve, to be paid a living wage.  This is a symbol of respect for people who work directly with students every day.  UTLA members, over decades, have participated in coalition strategy meetings and walked on picket lines in support of workers’ struggles from all sectors for the living wage.”

Caputo-Pearl was unavailable for comment. A union spokeswoman said his schedule in Denver precludes it.

Previous posts: JUST IN: Caputo-Pearl wins decisively for UTLA president, Teachers union set to demand salary hike of 17.6 percent

The three-year phase in brings workers up to $11 an hour for the coming school year, $13 an hour the following year and $15 an hour in 2016-17.

The increases affect nearly 20,000 employees who currently make $8 to $9 an hour.

As for SEIU 99 workers currently above $15 an hour, they will get a 6.64 percent raise, phased in over three years.

Terms of the new deal still need to be ratified by union members. They have until 6 pm Wednesday to vote to approve the contract, assuming it’s approved by the LA Unified board tomorrow.

“Because nearly half of the school workers represented by SEIU Local 99 are parents of children attending LAUSD schools, this agreement provides greater stability and increased opportunity for thousands of District students,” SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Courtni Pugh said in a statement.

While the union succeeded on its goal of raising the minimum to $15 an hour, it failed to gain a 15 percent increase for its other members. The first raise, of 2 percent, takes effect July 1, with the second coming a year later and a third, of 2.5 percent, the year after that. The 6.64 percent figure is a result of compounding all three increments.

However, raises beyond this year are not guaranteed. Language in the contract says they are contingent on the “district identifying increased revenues and/or reductions in operating expenses sufficient to fund the budgetary impacts of these wage increases.”

That leaves SEIU members a guaranteed 2 percent hike only for one year, the same deal LA Unified has offered the teachers union, UTLA, which has been seeking a 17.6 percent increase.

Also included in the SEIU agreement are commitments by the district to restore special education work hours lost in 2012, to increase staffing hours to ensure all students can learn in a safe, clean, and supportive environment; and to expand OASIS, a program the union has spearheaded, offering health care, counseling and tutoring services to students and their parents on LAUSD campuses.

Union president Barbara Torres remarked that the contract “begins to restore many of the essential student services that were lost during years of cuts.”

It’s not clear that a majority of members will endorse the contract.

On her personal Facebook page, former chair of the local’s political action committee and former member of the union’s bargaining committee, Kathryn Torres, who is Barbara Torres’s sister, is urging members to vote against it.

“It is a good thing that they got a $15 minimum wage but the rest of us have had a cost of living increase, too,” she told LA School Report. “A 6.64 percent raise is not enough.”

SEIU 99, which represents school workers in Lynwood, Compton and Santa Monica Unified school districts negotiated far more favorable terms for employees there. “At a minimum they got 4 percent raises in the first year plus bonuses,” Torres said.

Torres, who has often been at odds with SEIU’s highest ranking leadership, asked, “Why do we have to settle for this chump change?”

Courtni Pugh, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99

*UPDATED with response from Courti Pugh

The Executive Director of SEIU Local 99, LA Unified’s school workers union, announced today she is stepping down to take a job in Sacramento.

Cournti Pugh, who’s been at the helm of the local union for four years, announced her plans today on SEIU’s website and Facebook page.

Pugh said she is leaving “to immediately work to elect pro-worker legislators in the state senate.” But she did not clarify for whom or for what organization.

“I believe these efforts will once again gain the 2/3 majority in the state senate for incoming President Pro Tem, Kevin de Leon, and build a stronger movement for good jobs, quality schools and a better future for Local 99 members and all working families,” she wrote.

Pugh added that she’s leaving with a “heavy heart.” She informed the Executive Board about her plans on Saturday.

Union members said they were surprised to learn Pugh is taking a new job while SEIU is in the midst of contract negotiations with LA Unified. The LA Unified board is taking up a final vote on the 2014-2015 budget later today.

SEIU and the district began bargaining sessions on June 12 and agreed to enter into a period of expedited negotiations by holding seven meetings before the end of the month. It’s unclear, what if any, impact this will have on the process.

In a statement today, Pugh said, “The strength of our union is in our membership. It is not about one person. Everyone working together collectively for the members’ best interest will allow for the best outcome of our contract negotiations with the district.”

According to Pugh’s farewell letter, Scott Washburn, SEIU’s Arizona State Director, was “enthusiastically supported” by the Executive Board to serve as Interim Executive Director effective July 19.

Pugh’s decision to leave and not announce her future plans left some SEIU members at a loss to explain her resignation at such a critical time for the union.

“Courtni Pugh’s leaving SEIU 99 has many member leaders questioning why,” said Kathryn Torres, former chairman of the local’s political action committee. “Could it be that SEIU 99 recently gave Kevin DeLeon money to his reelection and now she is leaving to work for him? It makes us members think that there are back room deals being made with members’ money, also known as dues. Or was it because $180,000 a year was not good enough for her?”

Pugh denied she made as much as $180,000.

Courtni Pugh submitted the following response to LA School Report. Here is an excerpt:

The quote by Ms. Kathryn Torres that LA School Report chose to publish is of particular concern. As the former Chair of SEIU Local 99’s Committee On Political Action, Ms. Torres is well aware of the strict legal and ethical standards that SEIU Local 99 adheres to in making political contributions.

She is also aware of the transparent process by which union members are involved in decisions related to direct candidate political contributions. Specifically, on contributions made in support of Senator Kevin De Leon, it must be noted that Ms. Torres was the Chair and attended the Committee On Political Action meeting several months ago where this contribution, along with multiple others– including 5 members of the State Senate — were recommended by the Committee.

Allegations of ‘back room deals’ or any type of unethical behavior made in her quote are disparaging and even slanderous to the members of Local 99, Senator Kevin De Leon, and my own character. I would hope that in the future LA School Report would refrain from publishing such inflammatory statements.  Or, at the very least, seek a response to the allegations.

The union representing Los Angeles school employees — cafeteria workers, custodians, teachers’ assistants and others — is launching a pilot program to help students at four schools get access to counseling and health care.

They say their workers can help provide a missing link.

“Optimizing Access to Services, Inspiring Success,” or OASIS, will train employees to coordinate  with outside providers, tapping into city, county and nonprofit agencies that provide counseling, dental and vision care as well as tutoring and vocational support.

“It’s a little bit odd, I think, when people hear a labor union – specifically a classified labor union – is taking on operation like OASIS that focuses on the health and wellness of kids and families,” said Lester Garcia, a spokesman for Service Employees International Union Local 99. “I think it’s important for us as a labor union and as a labor movement to think about how we mobilize our members and our supporters for the public good.”

Read the full story here

Alex Johnson (left), George McKenna (right)

The battle for LA Unified’s open District 1 board seat is playing out not only among voters in the district, but also within the city’s labor unions.

Both candidates in the Aug. 12 runoff, George McKenna and Alex Johnson, have drawn considerable labor support. But a substantial split suggests that this is a typical election pitting labors groups that favor reform policies against the teachers union.

McKenna, the former administrator, would appear to have an advantage within the LA Unified family. He has been endorsed by two of the district’s three major labor partners — the teachers, UTLA; and the school administrators, AALA.

Johnson, an aide to LA Country Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, has the support of the third, SEIU Local 99, as well as endorsements from 15 other locals, representing a variety of trades, including fire fighters, teamsters and probation officers.

A bigger prize awaits, if it is offered. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, the umbrella organization for more than 300 locals, representing about 600,000 workers, has scheduled an endorsement committee meeting for July 10 to determine which of the candidates the union might endorse.

And might, is the key word.

The AFL-CIO withheld endorsing anyone in the primary, and any recommendation from the committee would go before the membership on July 21.

“It’s not common for the delegates to overrule the decision,” said Rusty Hicks, the group’s political director. “But it can.”

SEIU Local 99

The union, which represents 45,000 school-related employees including teachers’ assistants, bus drivers and cafeteria workers, made its decision last night after a members-only town hall event. The endorsement was confirmed by Courtni Pugh, Executive Director of SEIU.

Both Johnson, a senior aide to County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, and his opponent, retired administrator George McKenna, were interviewed at the meeting. McKenna was the top vote-getter in last week’s primary for the vacant seat in South LA’s District 1, with 44.3 percent of the vote. Johnson came in second, with 24.7 percent of the vote out of a field of seven candidates.

While there has been little to distinguish the candidates from each other on many issues, Johnson has publicly supported Superintendent John Deasy and campaigned with strong financial support from charter school groups. McKenna has refused to go on record about his views on Deasy. SEIU is considered to have a cordial relationship with Deasy.

SEIU backing could provide a boost to the Johnson campaign; historically the union’s endorsement comes with significant spending on behalf candidates by SEIU’s super PAC. The union also has thousands of members who live within the district, which could prove important in what is expected to be an exceptionally low turnout election.

The union had decided last April to sit on the sidelines during the primary, but said at the time that a re-evaluation of the race was in order for the runoff.

Previous Posts: SEIU 99 decides not to endorse a candidate for District 1 board seat; LAUSD candidates McKenna, Johnson set for election runoff

Most of the issues before the board are much less contentious than those addressed a week ago. They include:

• Board member Bennett Kayser’s effort to form a task force charged with replacing the district’s potentially asthma-triggering cleaning supplies will come up for a vote.  It is the only resolution for action on the agenda.

• A plan for a different task force will be introduced by Monica Garcia. This time one that, if passed, would develop a district-wide plan within three months for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Education to be implemented in the Fall of 2015.

• And Steve Zimmer has drafted a motion for phasing in the data resulting from the administration of the Smarter Balanced tests now that LA Unified “will sunset the use of API scores as a measurement and evaluation tool for schools communities and all other assessment purposes.”

In a closed session meeting the six members will address the usual: existing litigation, personnel dismissals, and student discipline cases. They will also meet with representatives of various labor groups who are entering into negotiations with the district on new collective bargaining contracts. Among them are the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA), Los Angeles School Police Association (LASPOA), Service Employees International Union Local 99 (SEIU), and United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA).

After the meeting, the same board members will reconvene in the afternoon. for a special joint meeting of Committee of the Whole and the Adult Education Committee of the Los Angeles Community College District.

Much of the discussion will focus on Assembly Bill 86, an effort to coordinate public schools and community colleges to serve the needs of adult education students.

For board agenda, click here.

For board materials, click here.

Barbara Torres is sworn into office by Local 99 Treasurer Maggie Johnson

Barbara Torres, the president of SEIU 99, one of the most powerful unions in the Los Angeles school district, said today she is stepping aside in the 2015 race for school board in District 5, currently held by school board member Bennett Kayser.

Torres said she made her decision after a story in LA School Report revealed that SEIU executives were concerned about the potential conflict of interest.

But that doesn’t mean Kayser is without a challenger. As of today, he has a new one: Barbara Torres’s twin sister, Kathryn Torres, who is also an official at SEIU 99, and currently chairperson of the union’s political action committee.

Barbara Torres had been serving as vice president of the union when she filed papers to run against Kayser last fall. She inherited the top leadership job in December, when her predecessor, Eddie Reed, died unexpectedly in office.

LA School Report published a story last month questioning Barbara Torres’ duel role as both a member of the union’s bargaining committee, which is negotiating a new labor contract with the school district’s board, and as a candidate for school board. Courtni Pugh, executive director of SEIU was quoted as saying lawyers at SEIU were launching an investigation.

Today, Torres said she was stepping down in the best interests of the union.  “My goal is to stabilize the union and take it where it needs to be,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of issues inside and outside, and I just want to get us back on track after so many internal problems.”

She continued, “We’re in the middle of a big campaign for our contract. We haven’t received a cost of living increase since 2006…And I made the decision that the union work is most important at this time.”

Although the City Ethics Commission website still listed her today as a candidate, she contends she has formally withdrawn from the race.

“No, I’m not running against my sister,” she insisted, referring to her twin, Kathryn. “I filed the paperwork with City Ethics on Wednesday. It just takes a few days to update the web site.”

In a separate, 1-minute telephone interview, Kathryn Torres confirmed she’s in, saying, “I will be running against Bennett Kayser.” She said she had no more time to discuss her decision and ended the call.

It is unclear whether the union will allow her to remain as chair of the union’s political action committee which historically has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the election and defeat of school board candidates.

The union thus became the first of the school district’s labor partners to make public its demands as the school board begins negotiations with all of its bargaining units.

The board meeting set for next Tuesday includes a number of items relating to union contract negotiations as the district moves closer to the July 1 start of the next fiscal year. SEIU is planning to present its proposals at the meeting.

“SEIU Local 99 members are incredibly dedicated to our students and the future of our schools,” Executive Director Courtni Pugh said in a press release from the union. “Every day, they make sure students get to class ready to learn. Yet, many of them struggle to support their own children. These proposals help ensure full staffing for essential student services and living wages that will allow dedicated school workers to support their families with dignity and opportunity.”

Bianca Gallegos, a spokeswoman for the union, said about 20,000 of the union’s 35,000 members earn between $8 an hour, California’s minimum wage, and $12 an hour. The remaining 15,000 members, she said, earn $15 an hour or more.

Using an average of $10 an hour for the first group, SEIU’s overall demand would cost the district an additional $280.2 million.

The union said it is also asking for the expansion of the OASIS program, which would keep school campuses open longer hours with after school programs offering health care, academic support, arts education, and financial planning and work force development for parents.

The union said in its press release that the proposals were developed over seven months through meetings at “hundreds of school sites” throughout the District.

“She has not made her decision yet,” Lewis told LA School Report. “There is a lot of good she could do for the families and students of LAUSD, and she’s still trying to figure out what is the best way of doing that.”

With respect to the possible conflict of interest for Torres to remain involved in on-going labor negotiations with the district while she is a candidate for the board — a question raised by Courtni Pugh, the union’s executive director — Myers said the concerns are unfounded.

“Labor has a rich tradition of developing leaders within their ranks and encouraging them to seek public office,” Myers said, and cited two recent examples: the new mayor of Boston, Martin Walsh, who ran while serving as the head of the city’s largest building trades group, and Mahlon Mitchell, president of the firefighter’s union in Wisconsin, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.

If Torres were to win, Myers continued, “she would certainly have to resign from LA Unified and thus surrender her membership with Local 99.”

Myers also addressed a possible conflict with Torres’s twin sister, Kathryn Torres, who chairs the union’s political action committee.

“Kathy Torres will not participate in the endorsement process of her sister if Barbara chooses to seek the endorsement of Local 99,” he said.

Furthermore, Myers asserts that Kathryn has has recused herself from all votes pertaining to the endorsements of all candidates throughout her 10-year tenure as chair.

Torres plans to clarify her plans by the beginning of summer, Myers said.