San Francisco teachers will strike Monday if demands not met
San Francisco teachers threaten strike on Monday
After months of bargaining, SFUSD and the teacher’s union are finally meeting Thursday night to negotiate after the union announced 5,200 members are to strike next week.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - A potentially historic teachers’ strike is looming in San Francisco as contract negotiations between educators and the San Francisco Unified School District remain at an impasse, with pay and health care benefits still unresolved.
The teachers union on Thursday said they will strike Monday if their demands are not met. At a news conference, union leaders said they had productive conversations with the district, but they didn't go far enough.
Strike looming
What we know:
The United Educators of San Francisco, calling it the strike for stability, said 5,200 members including teachers, social workers, counselors, and special educators will strike unless they get better wages, more healthcare coverage, funding for programs to support immigrant and housing-insecure students and resources for special education.
"It is up to the district to come up with a serious proposal to solve the stability crisis," said union president Cassondra Curiel. "If not, it is up to the thousands of educators of UESF to do what few have never done before and get on the picket lines on Monday morning."
Negotiations started last March, but came to an impasse in October.
Andrea Perira, the parent of a Sunnyside Elementary School student, said her child benefits from the hard work of the teachers, saying at the press conference Thursday morning, "It's devastating to know there’s a classroom at Sunnyside that serves the highest need kids, a special education program, that has not had a permanent teacher in years."
The other side:
On Thursday, SFUSD spokesperson Laura Dudnick said the school district has been able to reach an agreement on a number of areas over the month, but there are still some points they need to work through.
"We really want to make sure that we can work with our educators to come together to an agreement. That honors their hard work, that values the role that they play in students' lives every single day, and that's to make sure that our school district can continue on this path of fiscal solvency," she said.
The school district, dealing with a $100 million budget deficit for next school year, is under state oversight.
"We have fiscal advisors who have been appointed by the California Department of Education who currently have stay and rescind authority over any budgetary decision made by the Board of Education if they believe that it is counter to our fiscal stability," she said, adding those advisors have not stepped in yet.
The school district said officials will present a proposal at the meeting on Thursday evening which will meet many of the educators' requests, "including to fully fund family healthcare and provide wages we can afford."
"I believe we can have a meaningful and productive negotiation session with UESF, and we will be sharing additional information throughout the day," said Su.
The Superintendent has contingency plans
Dudnick said the Board of Education approved a resolution for the superintendent to come up with contingency plans in the event that there is disruption to student learning.
"We value our educators, and I do not want a strike," said SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su in a statement Thursday morning. "I share the concern and uncertainty this creates for families. I am committed to working around the clock to reach an agreement while also preparing for possible disruptions to the school day."
A fact-finding report released Wednesday by a three-member panel, made up of a district representative, a union representative and a neutral mediator, proposed a 6% wage increase for teachers over the next two years. The district is currently offering a 6% raise spread over three years, while the United Educators of San Francisco is seeking increases ranging from 9% to 14%.
SFUSD superintendent with an update on negotiations
San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Su with an update on negotiations with the educators union and the impasse they face over pay increases and protections for unhoused and immigrant communities.
Teachers say rising housing costs and the Bay Area’s high cost of living have made it increasingly difficult to stay in the profession.
"This is my 10th year teaching in SFUSD," said Monica, a district teacher. "Each year it gets more and more expensive living in San Francisco, and each year it gets harder and harder to continue to come back."
Union demands
Su originally said the district cannot afford to meet all the union’s demands.
"The fact-finding report echoes the district’s position that SFUSD remains in a dire fiscal situation and cannot financially afford the majority of what UESF is asking for," said Su.
In addition to higher wages, the union’s roughly 5,000 educators are seeking fully funded family health insurance, and protections for immigrant and homeless students.
"SFUSD remains committed to continuing health care discussions as a priority," said Su. "We know that this is the number one issue that our educators are facing at this time."
In a post to social media Wednesday, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said that he has been closely monitoring the situation and been in contact with both sides.
"What is best for our students is for the adults to continue discussions at the table so we can keep kids in the classroom," said Lurie.
SFUSD officials have a planned press conference for Friday morning to provide an update on the negotiations.
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