Teachers Union Plans to Picket Ivy Academia Friday

The Los Angeles teachers union plans to picket Friday in front of Ivy Academia Charter School in Woodland Hills. 

Founded in 2004, Ivy Academia is an independent public K-12 school chartered through the Los Angeles Unified School District, with campuses in Woodland Hills, West Hills and Winnetka. 

A representative of the school did not return a reporter's messages. 

The union reps call the anticipated action an "informational picket."

Here's what the United Teachers Los Angeles press release says: 

The clock is ticking at Ivy Academia Charter, where a third of the teachers have left over the past year, unable to hold on as negotiations drag on for a fair salary and benefits package. The educators at Ivy are concerned about the impact this retention problem is having on students. 

Teachers formed their union with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) with over 90 percent support in December 2012. Negotiations between UTLA and Ivy Academia for a union collective agreement began in May 2013. After nearly one year of negotiations teachers and counselors at Ivy continue to campaign for salary and benefits equal to what 90 percent of LA teachers already have. 

Priorities in negotiations are centered on improving their school for their students, their community and themselves and have been focused on:

• Retention and recruitment of qualified teaching staffing to ensure a stable learning environment for students and ensure the future success of the school.
• Fully employer paid family health insurance option.
• Ivy educators currently have to pay $3600-$6000/year out of pocket to insure their families. Many teachers are forced to leave their family uninsured because of the excessive cost.
• Comparable salary schedule to what most other LA educators, both union charter and district, already have.
• Ivy educators are currently paid an average 17 percent less, equivalent to $7400/year, than most other LA teachers.

“As educators, our number one priority is to ensure our students receive the best education. Year after year we have seen great teachers being forced to choose between staying in the Ivy family and being able to provide for their own families by moving on to other teaching positions that provide better compensation and benefits.  

"After a year of negotiations, it is time that Ivy comes to an agreement with equal benefits and equal salaries in order to ensure a stable learning community for all of Ivy’s students. Our teaching conditions are our students’ learning conditions,” said Tom Kuhny, seventh grade social sciences teacher.