L.A. teachers union reelects leader amid push for 20% raise, smaller classes, family aid

Cecily Myart-Cruz has won reelection as president of United Teachers Los Angeles, receiving three of every four votes cast, empowering her to maintain the union’s progressive social agenda and contract demands that call for a 20% raise over two years.

The heavy favorite, Myart-Cruz, 49, won a second three-year term with 75.5% of the vote. Veteran substitute teacher Leonard Segal finished second with 16.6% and Greg Russell, another long-time substitute teacher, had 7.9%.

The union represents about 35,000 teachers, librarians, counselors and nurses in the nation’s second-largest school system.

Myart-Cruz has positioned the union as a progressive voice for underserved Black and Latino students. The union wields significant influence over the education of Los Angeles children and was a driving force in district decisions about time spent in online learning and gaining early access to vaccines for teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Myart-Cruz was not immediately available for comment but had provided a statement before the end of voting.

“I am proud to have led this union of more than 35,000 educators in Los Angeles through all the difficulties we have faced and all that we have accomplished together the past three years,” she said. “I am committed to continuing to fight for our school communities, and I am eager to keep building on the progress of UTLA’s Beyond Recovery platform as we continue contract negotiations with LAUSD.”

Union leaders are expected to have a say in any renewed efforts to extend the school year or school day, which affects working hours. Leaders also will bargain over how and where to lower class sizes and weigh in on whether to shorten winter break from three weeks to two weeks. There’s also been a decades-long push and pull over who controls what happens at schools as far as teacher assignments, hiring and spending.

In ongoing contract negotiations, the union’s sweeping list of bargaining priorities includes such areas as funding for the Black Student Achievement Program, specifics on organizing the district, building affordable housing for low-income families, environmental justice, healthy food, trauma-informed teaching, techniques for de-escalation of conflict and increased access to ethnic studies.

In January 2019 teachers went on strike for six days and won some key concessions — such as a cap on class sizes — although the strike itself did not result in higher pay or better benefits. To avoid another strike, the union and school district must agree on wages that are generous enough to recruit and retain teachers as the district faces economic uncertainties.

For the campaign, Myart-Cruz had put together an all-woman slate that did not include three officers from her first term. The most notable change was the departure of union vice president Alex Caputo-Pearl, who had preceded Myart-Cruz as union president. Caputo-Pearl said he decided not to run for a second term as vice president.

The Myart-Cruz slate won five of seven citywide officer races. A slate put together by Segal did not win any. One race is going to a runoff.

Online balloting began Feb. 7 and continued until 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Turnout was low. Around 88%, or about 31,000, of more than 35,000 eligible members belong to the union, making them eligible to vote. Of these, 7,385 cast ballots for union president, about 24%. The union has not yet released official turnout figures.