Teachers union votes for vote

The Chico Unified Teachers Association (CUTA) has voted to allow its executive board to call for a vote to strike, if current labor negotiation conditions warrant.

According to a Dec. 12 press release, 497 CUTA members said yes to a vote and only nine said no. “This is an advisory vote,” said President Kevin Moretti in the release. “It informs CUTA leadership how our members are feeling about the current negotiations situation.”

Those negotiations between the association and the Chico Unified School District have stalled and were set for mediation on Dec. 19. Teachers at some CUSD school sites have taken part in “weekly informational picketing” to draw attention to their cause.

“The CUTA leadership is cautiously optimistic that a fair settlement can be reached in mediation,” the press release says.