Teachers union holds meeting on next steps in contract negotiations

The Clark County Education Association held a member meeting Saturday to consider its next steps as contract negotiations continue.

The teachers union — which represents about 18,000 licensed employees — met starting at 9 a.m. at Cox Pavilion on the campus of UNLV.

With a substantial crowd, most wearing blue union T-shirts, inside the pavilion, CCEA officials at the entrance denied the media access to the meeting and said there were no plans for a news conference to discuss what transpired.

Neither CCEA executive director John Vellardita nor union spokesperson Kennan Korth could be reached by phone after the scheduled 11 a.m. ending time of the meeting.

Negotiations have been underway since late March between the union and Clark County School District over topics such as pay, benefits and working conditions.

The union set a Saturday deadline for a two-year collective bargaining agreement to be reached or members could consider “work actions,” union leaders previously said.

The district filed a lawsuit July 31 seeking an injunction to prevent a future teacher strike. The union filed a motion to dismiss Monday.

A District Court judge denied the district’s injunction request Tuesday, saying there’s not enough information to indicate a strike will occur. But she said that she found statements by CCEA Executive Director John Vellardita concerning and that she could entertain a one-day notice for a return to court.

The union has held protests since July, including at school board meetings Aug. 10 and on Thursday, where three union members were removed from the meeting room by police.

Rallies outside of school campuses also have taken place over the last few weeks.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on X. Review-Journal staff writer Jeff Burbank contributed to this report.