Labor
LA Teachers Union Incumbent President Crushes Opponent For Re-Election
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Incumbent United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) president Alex Caputo-Pearl won re-election Monday, crushing opponent Lisa Karahalios by a 65 point margin.
Caputo-Pearl received 6,711 votes, or 82.31 percent of the total. Lisa Karahalios received 1,442 votes or 17.69 percent.
The UTLA, which represents 32,000 Los Angeles school teachers, counselors and nurses, faces competition from charter schools. The re-election of Caputo-Pearl is a sign that members approve of his attempt to turn the union into a political powerhouse to combat the rise in charter schooling, according to an LA Times report.
UTLA prez Alex Caputo-Pearl reelected with 82% of the vote. All results here: https://t.co/KD1qBYbBJN pic.twitter.com/f2kTFJfzut
— UTLA (@UTLAnow) February 27, 2017
Los Angeles Times education reporter Howard Blume first reported of Caputo-Pearl’s re-election.
Alex Caputo-Pearl easily wins reelection as president of United Teachers Los Angeles, according to a union tally of member votes.
— Howard Blume (@howardblume) February 27, 2017
Caputo-Pearl is known as a firebrand, rallying members to use their strength as a union. He defended teacher strikes during a summer speech at a union convention, proposing a strike readiness plan to members.
Karahalios was running on self-proclaimed “Sisterhood slate,” who are running on the idea that help for union members with problems at the schools is being neglected in favor of an obsession with “big-picture politics.” Karahalios was running on position Caputo-Pearl’s plan to turn the union into a “political powerhouse” was not the direction appropriate for the union. Voting members disagreed.
The powerful union is affiliated with the California Federation of Teachers and the California Teachers Association. Ten years ago the union had 45,000 members, 13,000 more than the UTLA has today.
Los Angeles voters will fill three school board seats on March 7, in what has turned into a multi-million dollar campaign.
See Total Results for all officer positions here.
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