Letter to Families January 16

Dear Families,

We are writing again to update you on negotiations and the reason for our Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Strike Authorization. We appreciate your support and concern for students. Nearly every Demonstration Teacher is a union member (over 96%). Nearly every Demonstration Teacher voted in our strike authorization (over 96%). The vast majority of teachers voted to authorize the strike.

Demonstration Teachers have authorized a ULP strike based on Management’s refusal to bargain over the full scope of negotiable topics and bad faith in the negotiation process. UC Management and the lab school administration continue to communicate that our strike will be illegal. Please read this “cease and desist letter”, which explains the legal basis for our strike and demands that administration stop threatening discipline by characterizing our strike as illegal.
 

Our negotiations are led by UCLA Lab School Demonstration Teachers who serve on our union’s Bargaining Team and Executive Committee. Our teacher team has developed and presented proposals on 20 subjects integral to restoring, protecting, and improving excellent teaching and learning conditions. UC Management has chosen not to respond to any of the following topics at any point in our negotiations, including during our three bargaining sessions last week: class size, instructional supports (including TAs, Instructional Assistants, and classroom materials budgets), planning time, reassignment, layoff, reappointment process, merit reviews, personal leave days, compensation for public engagement, and calendar. Read “What Teachers are Proposing and Why” for brief and clear descriptions of our proposals. Many of the topics have been included in past MOUs.
 

UC Management has offered a 4% salary increase retroactive to July 2022 contingent upon removing planning and professional development days and replacing them with instructional days. This is equal to a 1.3% increase each year for 2020-2022. Management is proposing this increase during a time of over 15% cumulative inflation since our last cost of living increase in July 2019. In 2022, Santa Monica Malibu Unified teachers negotiated a 10% increase, and in 2021, UC lecturers in our bargaining unit negotiated a 10% increase to take effect in 2022. LAUSD is currently negotiating for a 20% increase. The administration claims they cannot afford a comprehensive compensation package but they have not provided Demonstration Teachers budgetary information to support this position.
 

We will continue bargaining this week and hope that UC Management will begin to bargain in good faith. You can support teachers in the following ways:

• Please write letters to UC Administrators asking them to bargain a full range of topics (see sample letter):
• Sign and share our petition to tell UC Administrators to bargain in good faith.
• You may sign up to picket with us on January 25th and January 26th.
• Sign up here to receive updates directly from UCLA Lab School Demonstration Teachers and indicate support.
• You can read more about the history of our negotiations here.

We ask for understanding and goodwill during this tremendously challenging time. We understand that families and children also share many of the concerns we have about the direction of our school. We know families may have many questions. If our FAQs do not answer your questions, please reach out to your children’s Demonstration Teacher and they will connect you with a teacher or supportive community member who can best answer your questions.
Demonstration Teachers will continue to fight for an MOU that restores, protects, and improves excellent teaching and learning conditions.

Sincerely,
Your Demonstration Teachers