Oakland teacher’s strike day 3: District and union don’t reach weekend agreement; strike resumed Monday

The Oakland Unified School District and Oakland Education Association, which represents teachers and staff, did not reach a bargaining agreement over the weekend, pushing a strike affecting 34,000 students into its third day Monday.

The latest package from the school district included pay bumps for teachers and staff, one-time bonuses of $5,000, and responses to some of the union’s demands, such as training staff to de-escalate mental health crises.

The two sides appeared closest on compensation changes, as the district was offering to boost salaries from 13% to 22% for the next school year.

The district and union discussed “common good” items on Sunday, which the union has strongly advocated for throughout the negotiation process. The union’s common good demands include aid with housing for the district;s 1,500 unhoused students, according to the union, alongside with moves to address safety and racial justice concerns.

“(Sunday), the district did discuss Common Good items with us, including Community Schools, for the first time since the start of our historic strike,” the union said in a tweet Sunday evening. “This is a departure from everything OUSD has said up until this point. We welcome it and we demand that it continues.”

The OEA Bargaining Team is still negotiating with the district and is prepared to stay all night. Today, the district did discuss Common Good items with us, including Community Schools, for the first time since the start of our historic strike. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/aP3auBrNhQ

— Oakland Education Association (@OaklandEA) May 8, 2023

The union’s common good demands included smaller class sizes, free student transportation, housing for homeless students, and creating school-site committees to share decision-making among administrators, faculty, and families. The union was also asking for school safety improvements that include more staff trained to de-escalate mental health crises and school time dedicated to fostering a positive social climate.

Publicly, the district has pushed back on the common good demands, arguing that they are broader, more systematic societal issues that aren’t a simple fix with the limited power — and budget — of a school board.

“We would have preferred to spend the last two days focused on how best to reach an agreement to retain our educators,” OUSD Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell said in a news conference Thursday. “OEA’s vision of the common good is about us, the district, attempting to singularly solve complex societal realities, such as homelessness, that go far beyond the scope of what public schools can and should do alone.”

The district announced a virtual news conference for members of the media Sunday afternoon; it was subsequently postponed, with no rescheduled time. Shortly after the postponement announcement, the district said in a news release that the strike would continue Monday and school would resume in a modified format as it did Thursday and Friday, with office staff filling in for teachers and providing supervision, meals and limited instruction to students.

The district said parents and guardians do not need to report any student absences during the strike.