NEW ORLEANS – The United Teachers of New Orleans/ Advocates for Arts Based Education Corporation d/b/a Lusher Charter School, held a vote yesterday, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, to unionize.
Lusher Charter School's board had rejected recognition but the union petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election.
United Teachers represented school employees for decades until shutdowns following Hurricane Katrina led to an overhaul of school governance, with the state overseeing most schools.
Mag Bickford of McGlinchey Stafford PLLC, legal counsel for Lusher Charter School, issued the following statement after the vote:
Today, the Lusher faculty participated in an election, conducted under the rules and supervision of the national Labor Relations Board, to determine whether to be represented by a union. Two separate groups of employees participated – teaching professionals, or group A, and para-professionals, or Group B.
The employees voted to remain in two separate groups.
The results are as follows:
• Group A, 54 for union representation, 77 against and 1 challenged vote.
• Group B, 8 for union representation, 5 against and 3 challenged votes.
The Lusher Administration, in tandem with the Board of Directors, wishes to commend the professional educators and support staff who participated in today’s election.
Lusher’s dedicated employees’ continued passion about the future of Lusher Charter School and its community is gratifying and appreciated. As counsel, we will be conferring with our client to determine the next steps in this process.
Thanks you for your patience and understanding.
