Oakland teachers union opens vote on strike authorization

OAKLAND — The union representing teachers in the Oakland Unified School District opened online voting Monday to authorize a work action. The teachers are demanding more money than the district is willing to pay them, so they’re deciding whether or not to strike over it.

But it is the students and parents who may end up caught in the middle. If the strike happens, students at Oakland Technical High School will surely feel the effects. They were told on Monday that they should turn in all their work by Friday, because that may determine their final grade if the strike shuts down the school.

“Right now, I’m doing my final project,” said freshman Melinda Vazquez-Lopez. “And I don’t know how that’s going to work out, because we only have, like, a week if it does happen. And I don’t know what my grade is going to be if I don’t finish it.”

The students said it’s the uncertainty that is creating a lot of extra stress.

“We took, like, 20 minutes just talking about the strike,” said junior Finn Doherty. “And if there wasn’t a strike, what is all the worrying for?”

“I guess the main thing I’m worried about is how it’s going to affect the students,” said junior Tommy Shutt. “Because I feel like it’s a lot of talking about the teachers.

“I’m a little worried,” admitted student Sophie Perry, “but I’m just waiting to see because I’m sure the teachers will figure it out if we do go on strike.”

That was a common sentiment. While there may be concerns about what a strike would do, most students said they trust the teachers and were sympathetic to their plight. That was a feeling shared by OUSD parent Marcus Mitchell.

“It’s absolutely necessary to support the teachers,” he said. “There will absolutely be a huge impact, but how else will change take place? Sometimes you have to make things hurt in order to be heard.”

There is general agreement that teachers are not paid enough. But at the offices of parent advocacy group The Oakland REACH, founder Lakisha Young said while she supports better salaries for educators, it should not be at the expense of the students.

“Now we’re being asked to sign on to an action that is disruptive to our children, just in support of teachers. And it’s like, no, we can support teachers and not support a teacher strike,” said Young. “It’s what’s been put on the table and maybe we need to create a new playbook behind this. Because this has become excessive.”

Another REACH member, Lupe Canchola, said, like a lot of parents, she will be hard-pressed to find a place for her child if the schools close. She said, in the past, she always supported the teachers’ work actions.

“We just thought we were doing the right thing by supporting our teachers, because we love our teachers. We believe they’re here to support us and help us learn.”

But she said she doesn’t feel that way now. “Not with the strike at the moment, no,” she said.

On Monday, there was no telling if a strike would happen, or whether the threat of one was simply part of a bargaining strategy. But recent history says the union is not shy about hitting the pavement and, for those caught in the middle, that’s leaving the remainder of this school year very much in doubt.

The union has demanded an initial 23% raise. It is also asking for more school counselors and social workers along with smaller class sizes.

The district has proposed a 22% raise next year, with a one-time $3,000 payment to cover back pay. But union officials say that only applies to tenured teachers and not other staff.

OUSD says its proposed package, “would mean teachers in Oakland will, for the first time in decades, be paid higher than the average salary for educators in our region.”

All of this comes, as the district is struggling with its finances and declining enrollment. It says there’s simply not enough money to cover all of the union’s demands.

The two sides are still negotiating and haven’t declared an impasse, which would require mediation before a strike can be declared.

The union is following the lead of teachers in Los Angeles who filed a complaint of unfair labor practices before calling a 3-day strike, allowing it to skip several steps in the bargaining process.