District Teachers to Weigh In on Deal

Los Angeles Unified teachers have submitted enough signatures to trigger an internal referendum on their union’s support for legislation that would give some control over the schools to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. But such a vote probably would not occur until after state lawmakers have considered the legislation.

Paul Huebner, one of a group of teachers calling themselves the Coalition for Union Democracy, said about 600 signatures were submitted Friday afternoon to the 47,000-member United Teachers Los Angeles.

Five hundred signatures trigger a vote by the membership. First, the union must print pro and con views in its monthly newsletter. The referendum must take place within 30 days of the printing of the views and within 60 days of the submission of signatures.

The state legislative session for the year, however, ends Aug. 31. Huebner and Frances Copeland-Miles, a middle school teacher who helped with signature gathering, said a union referendum might come after that, but they urged UTLA leaders to organize an expedited vote before the end of the Capitol session.

“This is all about union democracy and letting the members have a say in something that is very important to them,” Huebner said.

After months of battling the mayor’s bid for a complete takeover of the district, UTLA and the California Teachers Assn. reached an agreement with the mayor in June that would allow Villaraigosa to share power with the elected school board and the appointed superintendent.

But many UTLA members have expressed frustration with both the secrecy of the talks and the nature of the deal.

In July, teachers petitioned for a vote of the union’s governing body, the House of Representatives, on the issue. That body narrowly voted, 101 to 89, to support a bill in the state Legislature, AB 1381, that would enshrine the compromise.

A.J. Duffy, UTLA president, said he expected signatures to be verified and he welcomed a vote.

“It’s yet another way for me to reach out to the members ... to assure them that while AB 1381 is imperfect, as is most legislation, there’s a lot in there that is good for teachers,” he said.

A union spokeswoman said UTLA would “look into” the possibility of an expedited vote but said she was unaware of any provision for speeding the process.

Duffy said it was quite possible a union vote would take place even after the Legislature acted on the bill.