UTLA was created in 1970 from more than a dozen different organizations representing teachers and support service personnel throughout Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). A merger of two major groups, American Federation of Teachers Local #1021 and the Association of Classroom Teachers of Los Angeles in that year succeeded in bringing all non-administrative, certificated personnel under the one banner of UTLA and its affiliates, the California Teachers Association (CTA), the National Education Association (NEA), and the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. UTLA is determined to do what's best for the classroom and the kids in them and will protect the budget axe from falling on the classroom.