Oakland Teachers Picket Over Contract Impasse

OAKLAND, CA — Oakland teachers are picketing and leafleting and only working to contract this week to try to put pressure on the school district to reach an agreement on a new contract.

The Oakland Education Association, which represents the teachers, said the teachers' last contract expired last July 1 and they've been working without a contract for nearly nine months.

In a news release, union officials alleged, "The district has not demonstrated that settling the contract is a priority."

Union officials said OEA members will honor the terms of their expired contract by not doing any work outside of their paid normal work day.

The union said teachers won't take work home and won't write lesson plans or grade student work outside of their contractual hours.

It said teachers also won't attend unpaid meetings before or after school.

In its own news release, the school district said, "We support our teachers' right to express themselves and value all that they contribute to our schools and our city."

The district said, "We feel they deserve the highest compensation possible, which is why over the past five years we have given the teachers raises totaling 19.34 percent."

The school district said it also wants to thank Oakland voters for passing Measure G1, which will allow the district to give teachers a raise in each of the next 12 years even though it faces a future decline in revenue from the state and an increase in pension costs and other expenses.

The district said, "We look forward to working closely at the bargaining table with the Oakland Education Association in service of the students of Oakland."

The OEA said, "Teachers do not take an action like this lightly, and will continue to provide high quality and engaging lessons to our students during the academic day."

OEA President, Trish Gorham, said, "We are taking this action to demonstrate how much unpaid time teachers work in service to our students. We need more paid planning time, a salary that will keep us in Oakland, and lower class sizes to meet the needs of our students."

Gorham said, "Even with an improved picture for state funding for next year, the district is not making serious proposals at the table."

Janet Lau, a second grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary School, said, "I always come early and leave late because I put my students at the center."

Lau said, "The school district needs to change its budget priorities. I won't work for free this week while the district continues to ignore the needs of our students."

Teachers began their actions on Monday and will continue them through Thursday.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock