Activism

Oakland Teachers Vote to Strike; District Tries but Fails to Block Walkout

Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, OEA second vice president, said, “We’re bargaining for safe, stable, and racially just community schools. Our proposals for wages are to provide the kind of stability our schools [need] by demanding OUSD pay our entire bargaining unit a living wage. Educators need enough money to be able to stay in Oakland.”

Published

3 years ago

April 30, 2023

Ken Epstein

OEA Interim President Ismael ‘Ish’ Armendariz. Photo courtesy of Oakland Education Association.

By Ken Epstein

Oakland teachers have voted overwhelmingly to conduct an Unfair Labor Practices strike against the Oakland Unified School District. A walkout could come as soon as Monday, May 1.

In an online announcement, the Oakland Education Association (OEA) said 87% of members participated in the strike vote last week, with 88% of them voting in favor of authorizing a walkout.

The union says this action is a last resort after six months of fruitless negotiations with the district.

Oakland teachers are ready to strike. Photo courtesy of Oakland Education Association.

According to OEA Interim President Ismael “Ish” Armendariz, “OUSD’s bad faith bargaining has been disrespectful to our educators and our community. Oakland educators and our community deserve better.”

She said union proposals include “using vacant OUSD properties to house unhoused families in our district. We know that students thrive when their schools and their home lives are stable.”

The union also seeks to increase the number of counselors and psychologists and improve school-site safety.

“We need OUSD to remove the strings from their salary proposals and partner with us to improve student support,” said Taiz-Rancifer.

District officials had asked the state Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) to rule that a strike would not be legal at this time and issue an injunction against it, but PERB refused to stop a strike.

School officials told PERB there is “no compelling state interest that would justify a violation of students’ constitutional rights, especially as this strike activity is based on threadbare allegations of harm.”

Among community leaders in Oakland who are backing the teachers’ union are Cat Brooks, leader of the Anti Police Terror Project, and George Galvis, executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ).