A judge has ruled that the union for teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District has the right to go on strike on Monday
The Los Angeles Daily News reports that unless a settlement is reached in the next few days, 30,000 teachers will walk off their jobs in the nation's second-largest district.
An attorney for the school district had argued in court that United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) did not give official notice to the district of a strike until Jan. 3, when it called for a strike on Thursday, Jan. 10. According to the union contract, either side must give official notice that they plan to terminate the contract and then there is a 10-day period before the contract ends before UTLA may go on strike.
But the judge rejected school district's request for a temporary restraining order to block the job action.
The union says negotiations will resume Friday. Teachers have been without a contract for nearly a year, UTLA says.
In the court hearing, Barrett K. Green, an attorney for the district, argued that during the 10-day period, the union is barred from “encouraging” a strike and must take proper steps to avert a strike.
Josh Adams, an attorney representing UTLA, argued the district had already been making preparations for a strike since September.
“Unions are allowed to prepare for a strike, just as the district has prepared for the last three months,” Adams said.
Green countered by saying that UTLA can prepare for a strike under the terms of the contract, but they can not encourage a strike.
