WEST VALLEY TEACHERS BEGIN PROTEST ACTION.

Byline: Jennifer Radcliffe Staff Writer

After ousting their union leadership for being too passive, west San Fernando Valley teachers on Monday launched a ``work-to-rule'' protest - halting all duties not specifically required in their contracts.

For dozens of teachers, the protest meant bypassing early morning tutoring and classroom preparation in order to distribute fliers explaining their frustration with ongoing contract negotiations. Others planned to cancel meetings with after-school clubs and move study sessions off campus.

``We've just about had it,'' said special-education teacher Barbara Eisen-Herman, UTLA chapter chairwoman at Hale Middle School.

The ``work-to-rule'' campaign - one of the first job actions in the Los Angeles Unified School District since a 12-day teachers strike in 1989 - started sporadically Monday, but is expected to spread this week across the West Valley, and possibly East Los Angeles. Educators said the mobilization will continue until the LAUSD and United Teachers Los Angeles reach a new contract.

The union's 40,000-plus teachers have been working without a contract for more than 18 months.

For Dane Pearson, a sixth-grader at Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, work-to-rule meant his lunchtime Chess Club was canceled.

``This came out of left field and I didn't even know what was going on,'' said his mother, Karen Pearson. ``The kids are getting scared. The parents are scared.''

SOCES parents were alerted of the protest by a student-authored letter that said teachers are ``sick of being treated like garbage.''

Pearson said she is concerned about the impact on students.

``I just want what's good for everybody and I don't want our kids falling though the cracks because of it,'' she said.

UTLA President John Perez said the blame must fall squarely on the LAUSD's shoulders.

``When people have been without a contract for as long as our members have, they naturally get frustrated at a district they believe to be unfeeling and uncaring,'' he said.

Part of that frustration surfaced when members voted to replace Perez with the more outspoken A.J. Duffy, effective July 1.

Pro-union board member Jon Lauritzen, a retired teacher who represents the West Valley, said he's worried about the impact that work-to-rule might have on students.

``You send a message, but are you doing more harm than good with the message?'' he asked.

``To do it for a week to send a message isn't going to do any damage. But if you do it longer, it becomes a habit and the whole system starts to break down. Part of being a teacher is doing the extra things the kids need.''

He said he expects a contract to be negotiated soon. While both sides generally agree that teachers should get a raise of roughly 2 percent, some professional-development and salary-credit issues are still being hammered out.

The next negotiating session is set for Thursday.

At Hale Middle School, teachers lined the perimeter of the Woodland Hills campus until the first bell rang at 7:56 a.m. Many vowed to leave as soon as the last bell rang at 3:05 p.m.

Under work-to-rule, teachers will take all scheduled breaks and start and stop work at regularly scheduled times rather than, say, working through lunch or staying after school.

They won't carry out any unpaid extracurricular projects or pay for any supplies out of pocket.

``If we do not get paid for an activity or assignment, we will not be doing it,'' Eisen-Herman said.

Monroe High School teacher Gregg Solkovits, incoming UTLA representative of the West Valley, said launching work-to-rule wasn't an easy decision.

While the union agreed to the more aggressive techniques two months ago, representatives of the West Valley's 5,200 teachers debated nearly two hours last week on whether to postpone the job action. They ultimately voted 86-6 to proceed.

``Some teachers see it as being something that takes away for them the most enjoyable part of their day,'' he said. ``For a lot of teachers, giving that up is a tough pill to swallow.''

While teachers sometimes get paid extra to sponsor clubs, coach sports and tutor students, there are several activities that teachers take on for free. Such activities as a fencing club or an African-American students association might, for example, be voluntary activities.

West Valley parent Bernette Reade said while she didn't notice any work-to-rule activity at her kids' schools, Holmes Middle or Cleveland High, she supports the teachers.

``That's part of our American-sort-of-way,'' she said. ``I would say they're being reasonable ... I think they should be out there protesting.''

UTLA officials said if work-to-rule isn't effective, teachers may begin holding demonstrations or boycotting certain school activities.

``It's essential to send a message,'' Hale Middle School teacher Chris Nowotarski said. ``It's the first step in what could amount to a strike.''

Jennifer Radcliffe, [phone]

jennifer.radcliffe(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Teachers at Hale Middle School in Woodland Hills participate in a ``work-to-rule'' protest on Monday morning.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer