WCCUSD teachers approve strike vote, after talks hit an impasse

With 98% of its members approving, the union representing teachers in the West Contra Costa Unified School District voted Tuesday to authorize its leaders to call a strike.

Since January, United Teachers of Richmond has been negotiating  a new contract with the district. On Aug. 19, the UTR declared an impasse, triggering third party mediation from the California Public Employment Relations Board. Since then, the sides have been in mediation sessions and are currently in the midst of a fact-finding process. 

The factfinder will make suggestions for resolving the impasse. The district can then make another offer. After that , the union would be allowed to strike. The situation is much the same as in 2023, when the sides accepted the factfinders suggestions, averting a strike and leading to a two-year contract in which salaries were increased by 14.5%.  

The UTR is requesting a 10% salary increase over the course of two years and an increase in health care benefits from 80% to 100% paid by the district, as well as other items including reduction in class sizes. 

WCCUSD has cited a budget deficit for not meeting these requests. The district is pulling around $13 million from its reserve funds to cover a projected 2025-2026 deficit.

WCCUSD has offered a 2% salary increase and an increase in health care benefits to 85%, according to the union. In an Oct. 9 letter, the union rejected the proposal, calling it “profoundly disappointing and fundamentally unserious.” 

In the letter, the union called on WCCUSD to prioritize teachers in the budget, saying, “The District has consistently claimed that financial limitations prevent it from investing in its educators, while at the same time maintaining reserves far beyond the legal minimum and spending wildly and frivolously on outside contracts and consultants. … These are choices of priority, not necessity.”

In a statement released after the strike vote, the district said. “Again, our primary goal during this period is to reach a fair and responsible agreement and avoid a strike. If, however, the UTR leadership decides to call for a strike at some point after Factfinding is concluded, we are committed to keeping our schools open for students and ensuring our students are safe when they come to school.”

The district’s response did not address the union’s claims that the district has not prioritized educators in its budget.

Teachers and staff have been citing unlivable wages among their reasons for authorizing a strike. Ash Abbot, a math teacher at Kennedy High School and single parent of 3-year-old twins, said it’s hard to meet expenses on a Richmond teacher’s salary. 

“The amount of money that I have to spend to make sure that I have emergencies covered and have health care for my kids, literally I can’t afford food,” Abbot said. 

Abbot moved to Vallejo for cheaper housing and to be close to family for childcare support, and uses community food programs to supplement their family’s needs. 

“I have a master’s degree, I’ve been teaching and in education for 15 years, it shouldn’t be this hard to survive,” Abbot said.

In the 2023-2024 school year, the average WCCUSD teacher salary was about $91,000 while the California average was about $101,000 according to the Department of Education database.

In anticipation of a possible strike, the School Board held an emergency session on Monday to plan for substitute teachers. The board voted to pay up to $550 per day for substitutes during strike — regular day rate is $280. Superintendent Cheryl Cotton originally proposed up to $750 per day, saying that the district needed to attract teachers who would be required to cross a picket line. Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, former UTR president, voted against the pay rate, proposing an alternative rate of $400 per day and calling the higher amount a mistake.

“I also think it’s going to be a slap in the face for teachers and classified [staff] right now once they hear that we would approve up to $750 per day for an action that’s going to be really difficult for a lot of them,” Gonzalez-Hoy said.

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