Bill Maher Gives Shout-Out To L.A. Teachers Strike With Union Boss In Audience

Patrick Hipes
·1 min read
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HBO’ Real Time With Bill Maher returned from its winter hiatus Friday and Maher had plenty to catch up with on the political landscape after almost two months off — including the current teachers strike in Los Angeles where Maher lives and the show is filmed.

Maher in his opening monologue noted the strike, which hit its fifth day Friday in the nation’s second-largest school district. He then introduced Alex Caputo-Pearl, the president of teachers union United Teachers Los Angeles, who was in the studio audience.

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After Maher, whose sister is a teacher, asked him to stand, Caputo-Pearl got a standing ovation.

“I said he should stand — then you can’t see him,” Maher joked from the stage. “But I hope you guys get back to work.”

The shout-out came a day after UTLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District returned to the bargaining table Thursday. Negotiations went until 9 PM last night, so Caputo-Pearl was back to work after catching the show. Talks resume this morning at 11 AM PT.

LAUSD teachers have been working without a contract for almost a year and are seeking a new pact that addresses class sizes and calls for wage increase and investments in school safety, staffing and educational programs.

Here’s the moment Friday:

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