Sweetwater Education Associate Set to Picket Monday Afternoon

The Sweetwater Union High School District board meeting set for today was postponed until March 25, officials said, but the teacher's union announced that planned picketing will go ahead anyway.

The meeting was postponed due to what the district called the "ongoing labor situation" and a surgical procedure scheduled for Wednesday for board President Jim Cartmill, who has an unspecified medical problem.

About 92 percent of the more than 1,400 teachers—who instruct middle and high school students in Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego South Bay neighborhoods—authorized a strike, though such action has not been taken.

According to a statement from the Sweetwater Education Association, the district imposed a doubling of health care payments on teachers and has not negotiated in good faith. They plan to picket at 4 p.m. in front of the district's Chula Vista offices.

The district said it informed the SEA about the postponement and "will continue to make efforts to find an immediate resolution that is beneficial to all and ensures continued student achievement and success."

Last week, district officials said they believe any strike while negotiations are underway would be illegal.

—City News Service