An Insider Looks at UTLA Elections
Christina Johnson, UTLA member and special education science teacher at Santee Education Complex, takes us inside the upcoming United Teachers of Los Angeles’ (UTLA) union elections. She finds top down management instead of union democracy. Hundreds of teachers have not received ballots which have races missing, misspelled names, etc. It seems union democracy and efficiency was thrown out the window.
I always knew my union was important for my colleagues and me, but it wasn’t until the teacher strike that I saw how it matters to the entire city.
Now it’s a United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) election, not a strike, that will have far-reaching consequences for students and families for years to come. The leaders elected this month will be some of the most powerful players in city politics, but they will be facing a serious challenge to retain members. While a new survey finds 79 percent of Los Angeles teachers who are non-union members say they are likely to opt into UTLA next year, 49 percent of current union teachers in LA say they are likely to opt out in the coming year. (emphasis added)