San Francisco’s teachers could once again be gearing up for the possibility of a strike.
The union representing more than 6,500 of The City’s public school educators, nurses, counselors and psychologists held a strike readiness meeting at John O’Connell High School on Thursday, a signal of increased organizing in the coming months.
“This training will equip our (school) site leaders with the necessary skills and knowledge to prepare for a potential strike in the fall,” Michelle Cody, union member and math teacher at Willie Brown Middle School, said in a video statement Wednesday.
One hundred sixty union leaders representing over 80 schools attended the training, union spokesperson Amanda Hart confirmed, and learned how to prepare to continue to support contract negotiations.
“(Attendees) reviewed a presentation from the bargaining team about what has happened in negotiations so far and how strikes, especially the recent wave of educator strikes, have helped workers achieve better pay and working conditions resulting in huge wins for educators, students, and families,” she said.
While the possibility of a strike has been brewing over better pay and working conditions, district spokesperson Laura Dudnick told The Examiner that a strike readiness meeting is standard union practice. “It does not mean there will be a possible strike. There are many steps that have to happen before a strike vote can be taken by the union,” she said.
On Monday, The United Educators of San Francisco and the district met at the bargaining table for the tenth time since negotiations began in March. Both parties again met on Wednesday, but a tentative agreement was not reached.
Union leadership has been vocal that they’d like to avoid a strike and subsequent shutdown of classes. Union vice president Frank Lara said they “do not take such action lightly.”
The last public school staff strike in San Francisco was over forty years ago. With the academic year coming to a close and staff contracts set to expire, there’s an urgency to come to a tentative agreement to avoid a strike.
But the union said the district is “dragging its feet and is directly responsible for the lack of progress” thus far.
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Still, Dudnick contends that “Negotiations are moving forward in a healthy way.”
Beyond pay raises and more flexible sick day policies, the union is demanding smaller class sizes and is pushing back against consolidating grades into one large class. The district’s reason for consolidation is declining enrollment, in the case of classes at Bessie Carmichael Elementary School.
The district also refused the union’s proposal to give preferential enrollment to children of teachers at the school where the parent is employed. The union said it was “surprised to see the district reject this proposal, as it could only positively impact the district’s current student enrollment.” The district said this preference would violate board policy.
Both parties have yet to agree on raises for staff. However, Dudnick said SFUSD implemented a 6% raise for educators this academic year and that paraeducators — sometimes referred to as teacher aides — received a $1,500 retention stipend.
In a May 24 letter to parents, superintendent Matt Wayne said, “We have offered meaningful compensation proposals as well as trying to address concerns around working conditions. We have to responsibly manage our finances in the long run or be subject to additional state oversight.”
Cody, the math teacher at Willie Brown Middle School, said the union is open to meeting with the district this summer “to negotiate smaller things,” but not aspects of economic proposals while staff is on break for the summer.
The movement follows teacher strikes in the state, including the largest ever strike in Oakland that resulted in a historic settlement and an agreement to implement “common good goals.” The goals require the school district to address reparations for Black students and housing for homeless students, as well as gun violence and mental health staff support; lead and asbestos in buildings; proper ventilation and climate control settings in classrooms; subsidized transportation for students; lower caseloads for nurses; increased investment in visual and performing arts; and more.
San Francisco teachers have held numerous picket lines since March at various school sites. In addition, teachers, parents and students voiced their concerns at the board of education meetings, sometimes in tears when describing what they perceived to be poor learning conditions.
“Our power lies in the organizing that we have been doing with each other, our students and our families all year at our school sites,” Cody said.
