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Teachers went on strike for two days, starting Wednesday, at the University of California Lab School, which the Los Angeles Times described as “an elite pre-K-through-sixth-grade school nestled in a quiet corner of the UCLA campus,” which “has offered a nurturing environment for students whose parents won a coveted spot for their child.”
The school is run by UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies. Students are selected for admission, and tuition is up to $25,000, with about a third of students on financial aid.
The strike is over working conditions.
“We have a leadership that does not seem to be concerned about the mission and vision of the school … and very little understanding of the culture of the lab school, who we are and what we represent,” said Rebecca Heneise, a dual-language demonstration teacher at the lab school.
The faculty, who are members of the University Council–American Federation of Teachers, say that UCLA management has violated their rights to bargain by delaying the process and denying them the right to negotiate a side letter that includes working conditions specific to the needs of a lab school.
The university declined to comment on the negotiations. “We value the work of our UCLA Lab School Demonstration Teachers represented by UC-AFT. UCLA is negotiating in good faith with the union, and we are hopeful that an agreement can be reached soon,” the university said in a statement.