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United Teachers of Los Angeles logo
Two women with strike signs on their bodies that state "I work to make a living, I teach to make a difference."

We are UTLA

35,000 educators united for equitable public education for all.

Our Purpose

United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) ensures equity in public education, upholds educators’ rights, advances the well-being of students, and strengthens communities.

what we do

We make public schools quality places to learn and work.

Our holistic approach allows our union to address the issues that matter most to educators, students, and their families.

Students are at the heart of what we do. Since UTLA is at the intersection of the labor and education movements, we work shoulder to shoulder to improve working and learning conditions in our communities.

Together, we bargain for our benefits with LAUSD and take on a range of issues, including equitable and sustainable access to academic opportunity and technology, green public schools, and equitable school funding.

Dive Deeper

who we are

We are diverse and mighty

Our union is educators in district and charter schools in LAUSD. Explore key moments in the history of UTLA where we have used our collective power to uplift our students, schools, and professions.

our history

1970

United Teachers Los Angeles
Organizations representing educators and support service personnel throughout the second-largest school district, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), came together under the banner of UTLA and our affiliates. A strike in 1970 solidified our union.

1975

The Rodda Act
UTLA mobilized to secure a collective bargaining law for public school employees after the courts declared the first contract won by educators null and void. In 1975, Governor Jerry Brown signed the Rodda Act into law, allowing strikes over contract issues and forcing parties to bargain in good faith.

1989

9-Day Strike
Nearly 20,000 UTLA members joined the picket lines for nine consecutive days to demand higher pay and more decision-making control. Together, we won a historic three-year contract of yearly 8% salary increases and a restructuring that implemented school site decision-making and school-based management.

The ’90s

Defending LA’s Public Schools
When the nation plunged into a recession in 1990, LAUSD had to cut $800 million —25% of its total income— from its budget. So, when our contract expired in 1991, pay cuts followed. Yet, layoffs of thousands of teachers were fought successfully by UTLA, all while we helped defeat disastrous school voucher plans and other schemes to break up LAUSD.

2019

6-Day strike
The city’s first educators' strike in 30 years achieved a historic agreement to advance our mission. UTLA forced LAUSD to relinquish its power to raise class sizes unilaterally, added 300 more school nurses and 77 more middle and high school counselors, and secured a 6% raise for teachers.

Present

Forging Ahead
UTLA is determined to ensure that educators, students, and our communities thrive. UTLA has successfully backed candidates for the school board who have vowed to place top priority on students and the classroom.

Our governing documents

For nearly half a century, the UTLA Constitution and Bylaws have empowered members to promote our collective well-being. From guiding principles and voting procedures to the ever-changing structure of our mighty union, UTLA is proud to be governed by and for educators.

Read Your Constitution