A March runoff will decide who leads the L.A. teachers union
Veteran union leader Julie Washington finished first in the race for president of United Teachers Los Angeles, but fell short of avoiding a runoff in balloting to head the union, officials announced Thursday night.
Washington, a union vice president, claimed 44.8% of the vote. In second place and securing a spot in the runoff was Warren Fletcher, a teacher at the City of Angels alternative school, with 37.3% of the vote.
Six other candidates vied for the top office. The only other aspirant with more than 4% of the vote was Mat Taylor, the lead union representative for much of South Los Angeles, with 8.7% of the vote.
Ballots for the next and final round of voting will be mailed on March 7 to UTLA members and must be returned on or before March 29. UTLA represents teachers at schools operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest school system.
Fletcher’s strong second-place finish was something of a surprise. Like Washington, he’s well liked within the union, but has been widely viewed for years as an outsider critical of union leadership, with little or no constituency behind him. That wasn’t the case in this election, with many critics of the UTLA leadership coalescing around Fletcher rather than splitting their vote more evenly among various candidates.
The union sent out 36,857 ballots and 6,278 were returned, a turnout rate of 17%. The overwhelming majority of UTLA members are teachers, but the union also represents nurses, librarians, counselors and psychologists.
The only outright winner was Gregg Solkovits, who claimed the spot of vice president representing secondary schools with 54.7% of the vote.
Current union President A.J. Duffy was barred by term limits from seeking a third three-year term.
RELATED:
Eight seek presidency of United Teachers Los Angeles
-- Howard Blume
Fletcher's finish was no surprise. Teachers from Fremont, Jordan, Huntington Park, and Belmont know these union leaders have sold out true education for their careers. They never challenged the reconstitutions of these dramatically improving schools.
They also failed to represent the voice of teachers and there is a third factor. They never legally challenged the LA Times for their slanderous, libelous labeling of teachers as effective or ineffective based on a number from a test that students are not even held accountable for. In addition, many urban schools have poor working conditions.
If you want teachers to perform like their suburban counterparts, then provide them the working conditions so they are not traveling from room to room and putting up with other problems that make it hard to teach. Our union never helped with working conditions.
VOTE FLETCHER IN THE RUN OFF FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR PROFESSION.
Posted by: LA teacher | February 18, 2011 at 11:59 AM
Better yet - decertify the unions, allow CHOICE - let vouchers and the free market dictate quality - not parasitic protectionist organisms like government unions
Posted by: dangermouse | February 18, 2011 at 08:58 PM
You know where "choice" gets the teaching profession: low paid teacher's aides making no more than 45,000 dollars a year with poor benefits. Unions are not the culprit- all of the highest performing public schools have strong unions- it's poverty. "Choice" simply moves poverty around.
Posted by: LAUSD | February 19, 2011 at 07:46 AM
I disagree with LA teacher. Because their facts are WRONG...
There was a legal challenge to the Los Angeles Times story, But I guess you are not up on the facts. But regardless I am supporting Julie Washington for UTLA president. When elected, she will be the first Elementary teacher, first African American and First woman in 25 years. Maybe that's why she claimed 44.8% of the vs. 37.3%. So I am Voting for Julie and the whole Core Action Slate.
Posted by: Frank Higginbotham | February 19, 2011 at 04:25 PM
If I could.
Posted by: Frank Higginbotham | February 19, 2011 at 04:27 PM
Julie Washington sold out several employees in the past 3 years. She KNEW layoffs were coming and hid it for 6 months than she acted like she had know idea they were coming and did not fight to keep the employees. She did nothing. More than 3000 employees were laidoff, Some were rehired as SUBs but thats not the same thing because you rarely get called. Under the current leadership UTLA members have experienced pay cuts, layoffs, deteriorating classrooms, schools, and no basic supplies among other things.
Julie Washington as done nothing except lie to her fellow UTLA members.
I will vote for Warren Fletcher
12 year District worker (8 years senior office tech. 4 years teacher)
Posted by: Gill | February 20, 2011 at 11:53 AM