Oakland public school teachers and staff to go on strike
- Editor
- May 4, 2023
- 1 min read
The Oakland Unified School District in California will see a strike by public school teachers starting on Thursday due to the failure of contract negotiations between the district and the Oakland Education Association, which represents teachers, counselors, and other school workers. Although the district's approximately 34,000 students will have access to school, the district has said it will not be a typical school day.
School principals, office staff, and support staff will provide supervision and education, while lunch will still be provided. The strike marks the second one in four years in the district, with the union calling for competitive pay that matches the county median.
After seven days of negotiations, the Oakland Education Association has decided to proceed with their planned strike, as announced on Facebook. They aim to strike for the benefit of Oakland schools and their students, continuing to negotiate in good faith, hoping that the district will do the same.
This strike follows a three-day strike by school workers in Los Angeles two months ago, where they sought higher pay, increased staffing levels, and more full-time work. Such work stoppages are part of a wave of strikes across the country due to issues such as low pay, insufficient funding, and dilapidated school conditions.
The union aims to revamp the special education case allocation system and use the district's excess land to provide homes for homeless students, as well as receive higher pay.
The district hopes that regular school will resume as soon as possible, given the numerous milestone events at the end of the school year.