Strike by Los Angeles teachers enters fifth day amid talks

Los Angeles teachers will walk picket lines for a fifth day today after the union and school district officials returned to the bargaining table with hopes of ending the massive strike in the nation's second-largest school district.

Contract negotiations resumed yesterday for the first time in nearly a week with no word on whether either side provided a new offer.

Union officials tempered expectations.

United Teachers Los Angeles President Alex Caputo-Pearl says "we should be aware that we've been at this for 21 months and there are some very fundamental issues that there are key differences on. So an agreement isn’t going to take shape overnight."

Caputo-Pearl said negotiations likely would continue today and possibly through the weekend.

Mayor Eric Garcetti had urged both sides to resume talks at City Hall. The mayor doesn’t have authority over the Los Angeles Unified School District but he has sought to help both sides reach an agreement.

Teachers planned a huge rally at downtown's Grand Park today, — the first day with no rain in the forecast since the strike began.