Oakland Teachers Strike Over Contract Talks

The Oakland Education Association, which represents nearly 3,000 teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses, and substitutes, will go on strike beginning May 4 unless it reaches an agreement before then with Oakland Unified School District. The union is protesting unfair labor practices of the school district, which include negotiating in bad faith by coming to bargaining sessions unprepared and not making meaningful counter-proposals. The contract dictates things like pay, hours, the school calendar, class sizes, and other working conditions for OEA members. The union has asked for salary increases of about 23%, which members say would put their pay in line with median teacher pay in Alameda County.