These are not the best of times to be a public school teacher in

California. The United Teachers Los Angeles is facing a potential loss

of nearly 5,500 instructors from its 48,000-member union due to layoffs

— a devastating blow to any organization that size. The UTLA

is gearing up to reduce the eventual number of layoffs — even as it continues to negotiate a

new contract under the worst economic conditions in two generations.

Tomorrow, Friday the 13th, is when the last of the Los Angeles Unified School

Board's pink slips are due to reach the affected teachers. It's also when UTLA and its supporters will

hold an early morning meeting at the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex to discuss the effects of the pending layoffs on schools and students.

Meanwhile, another union, the California Teachers Association, is staging Pink Friday and calls on people to wear pink tomorrow to show support for its beleaguered members. Those interested in finding — or creating — Pink Friday events should click on its link above.

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