Impasse

GLENDALE — Contract negotiations between the Glendale Unified School District and its teachers union reached an impasse Thursday, clearing the way for a neutral fact finder to enter the fray if a federally appointed mediator can’t broker an agreement. The fact-finding process would begin if an agreement isn’t reached. Both sides could adopt the findings of the report into new contract language. But the district could still reject the report and impose its last offer, forcing teachers to either accept or strike, Glendale Teacher’s Assn.

CITY HALL — Concessions agreed to by the unions that cover firefighters and most managers should save the city $1.5 million, officials say, but negotiations remain ongoing with the largest employee union. The Glendale City Employees Assn., which covers 1,000 of the 1,700 salaried rank-and-file employees, has been negotiating without a contract since July as officials try to secure concessions from it and the police union that would save the city millions. So far, the City Council has approved a one-year contract with the Glendale Management Assn.

GLENDALE — Teachers union officials say that an independent fact-finding process, a key step in trying to break a bargaining impasse with Glendale Unified, could all be for naught, no matter the findings. Even if the nonbinding process finds that the Glendale Teachers Assn. is in the right, district administrators can still impose an employee health benefits cap, a key point of disagreement between the two sides, union representatives said. Teachers would have to accept or walk out, union officials said.

GLENDALE — After six months of negotiating, Glendale Unified School District officials called for an impasse Tuesday at the contract negotiation meeting between the district and the Glendale Teachers Assn. The move will bring in a state-designated third party to help mediate in the ongoing contract negotiations, said Eva Rae Lueck, chief business and financial officer for the district. In their 10th meeting since negotiations began in October, held Tuesday, representatives from the school district and the teachers' union had still not come to an agreement on teachers' contracts for the 2006-07 school year.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE - Hoping to bring an end to months of sluggish contract negotiations with the Glendale Teachers Assn., the Glendale Unified School District declared an impasse Tuesday afternoon and requested the assistance of a state mediator. The big bump in the road to settlement this time around has been the issue of whether the association should get to charge dues to nonmember teachers. While the Glendale Board of Education has long held the view that district teachers should not be forced to pay dues, the association has for years been trying to collect fees from everyone it represents.

CITY HALL — The City Council, after weeks of holding out for possible wage concessions, appeared to reach a standstill with the Glendale Police Officers Assn. on Tuesday as the clock on passing a balanced budget before July 1 continued to tick. With the police union seemingly unwilling to budge on a planned 6% salary increase due in July as part of a four-year contract, council members at a special morning budget hearing Tuesday directed Interim Police Chief Ron De Pompa to return next week with alternates for a 5% funding reduction to the department that has so far included controversial proposals to eliminate the Vice Unit and substantial cuts to the Community Police Partnerships Program as the council moves closer to balancing a $9.7-million deficit.

Robert Chacon Tensions are rising in negotiations between the La Canada Unified School District and its teachers. More than one month into the new school year, teachers for the La Canada Unified School District are working without a new contract. District officials and teacher representatives have been meeting since March to try to hammer out a deal for the district's roughly 200 teachers, but have been unable to agree on terms for health benefits and a pay raise.

Darleene Barrientos After reaching a decision on one count but declaring itself split on several others, the jury deliberating the fate of two men accused of killing a Hoover High School student were sent back to the jury room Monday to continue working toward a verdict. Jurors pondering the case of 21-year-old Karen Terteryan and 18-year-old Rafael Gevorgyan said they were confused by the wording of the law in several of the counts against the two defendants.

GLENDALE — Contract negotiations between Glendale Unified and its teachers union have stalled again, with both sides digging in on how and when to meet. Both sides were close to sitting down Monday, but Glendale Unified School District officials said their union counterparts canceled at the last minute. Union officials said Oct. 26 was just a proposed date, never a firm plan. The 3:30 p.m. meeting time was also an issue. “We have always met during our regular working hours,” said Tami Carlson, president of the Glendale Teachers Assn.

Gretchen Hoffman A local nonprofit is feeling the effects of a state budget impasse and could face cutbacks or closure if its funding isn't reinstated by the end of September. The state Assembly has asked a committee to consider an emergency spending bill that would keep all aspects of state government funded until a budget is passed, but Gov. Gray Davis has indicated he's not in support of the stopgap measure. It's a matter of grave concern for CITY Community Services, 1030 Foothill Blvd.

More than 200 Glendale Water & Power employees and their union comrades packed City Hall  Tuesday  night to protest a contract that cuts their pay  by  1.75%. Despite the showing, the City Council  -  unable to reach a deal with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18, the union representing the utility workers  -   voted unanimously,  with one abstention,  to impose the contract, which also requires workers to temporarily pay more for their  own  health insurance.

CITY HALL — Concessions agreed to by the unions that cover firefighters and most managers should save the city $1.5 million, officials say, but negotiations remain ongoing with the largest employee union. The Glendale City Employees Assn., which covers 1,000 of the 1,700 salaried rank-and-file employees, has been negotiating without a contract since July as officials try to secure concessions from it and the police union that would save the city millions. So far, the City Council has approved a one-year contract with the Glendale Management Assn.

GLENDALE — Teachers union officials say that an independent fact-finding process, a key step in trying to break a bargaining impasse with Glendale Unified, could all be for naught, no matter the findings. Even if the nonbinding process finds that the Glendale Teachers Assn. is in the right, district administrators can still impose an employee health benefits cap, a key point of disagreement between the two sides, union representatives said. Teachers would have to accept or walk out, union officials said.

GLENDALE — Contract negotiations between the Glendale Unified School District and its teachers union reached an impasse Thursday, clearing the way for a neutral fact finder to enter the fray if a federally appointed mediator can’t broker an agreement. The fact-finding process would begin if an agreement isn’t reached. Both sides could adopt the findings of the report into new contract language. But the district could still reject the report and impose its last offer, forcing teachers to either accept or strike, Glendale Teacher’s Assn.

GLENDALE — Contract negotiations between Glendale Unified and its teachers union have stalled again, with both sides digging in on how and when to meet. Both sides were close to sitting down Monday, but Glendale Unified School District officials said their union counterparts canceled at the last minute. Union officials said Oct. 26 was just a proposed date, never a firm plan. The 3:30 p.m. meeting time was also an issue. “We have always met during our regular working hours,” said Tami Carlson, president of the Glendale Teachers Assn.

CITY HALL — The city’s largest employee association voted to reject a proposed one-year contract absent of any pay increase — setting up a potential impasse with the city. The Glendale City Employees’ Assn. fell a few votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to ratify the proposed contract, which was the result of several months of negotiations between the city and the union, Human Resource Director Matt Doyle said Friday. Seven-hundred of the association’s approximately 1,000 members took part in the vote, Doyle said.

CITY HALL — In a city where $9.7 million in city budget cuts rarely drew more than a few public comments per hearing, it was regulations for residential window replacements that drew out the masses Tuesday as the City Council revisited its design guidelines. The topic took two hours of public debate and comment alone as homeowners and historical preservation advocates pushed for or against the contentious item du jour at City Hall — vinyl window frames. “We cut [$9.7 million]

CITY HALL — The City Council, after weeks of holding out for possible wage concessions, appeared to reach a standstill with the Glendale Police Officers Assn. on Tuesday as the clock on passing a balanced budget before July 1 continued to tick. With the police union seemingly unwilling to budge on a planned 6% salary increase due in July as part of a four-year contract, council members at a special morning budget hearing Tuesday directed Interim Police Chief Ron De Pompa to return next week with alternates for a 5% funding reduction to the department that has so far included controversial proposals to eliminate the Vice Unit and substantial cuts to the Community Police Partnerships Program as the council moves closer to balancing a $9.7-million deficit.

GLENDALE — The Glendale College Guild and the college’s administration have reached common ground on salary increases for faculty for the current fiscal year. After a five-hour negotiating session on Thursday, the two sides came to a tentative agreement on salaries, according to Isabelle Saber, the chief negotiator for the guild. The guild and administration have been negotiating for months, and leaders of the faculty guild had said an impasse was likely going into Thursday’s negotiation session, which was the last scheduled session of the school year.