WCCUSD teachers announce strike after mediation fails

Teachers will go on strike Thursday in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, but the superintendent says schools will remain open. 

United Teachers of Richmond announced at 7 p.m. Monday that it had rejected the district’s latest offer of a 3% salary increase, and 90% coverage of health care benefits beginning in 2027

“Striking is the last resort — we want to teach,” UTR President Francisco Ortiz said in an email to members. “But we know this truth: The status quo is failing our students.”

Union demands include a 10% salary increase over two years, 100% coverage  of health benefits, class size reductions and support for international teachers. 

The union has been negotiating a three-year contract with the district since February. On Aug. 17, the union declared an impasse, triggering third-party mediation that included meetings, a fact-finding process and a hearing. 

The district, which initially offered no salary increase, has cited an ongoing budget deficit for its unwillingness to meet the teachers’ demands. In October, the district budged, offering a 2% salary increase and upping benefits coverage from 80% to  85%. The union has asked for a 10% salary increase and full benefits coverage.

At the Nov. 18 hearing, both sides presented their cases to a three-person panel with representatives from the district, the union and the California Public Employment Relations Board. The neutral panelist released a report on Friday, recommending a gradual 6% salary increase over one year, and an increase in health benefits coverage from 85% in 2026 to 90% in 2027.

Union and district panel members released statements showing some agreement with the report, including the district’s acceptance of the benefits recommendation. But salary remains a sticking point.

“As superintendent, I heard the real frustrations of our educations regarding pay increases, health benefits, special education, fully-staffed schools and several other key issues during the fact-finding hearing,” Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said in a video message on the district’s website. Calling the district’s budget deficit “severe,” she added, “Compensation increases only increase the size of the financial reductions our board must make this year.”

The union has said the district’s budget would support higher teachers salaries if it cuts back spending on outside contractors. It has cautioned that unless the district addresses salary and benefits issues, teachers will leave the district. 

WCCUSD has been struggling to fill teacher vacancies in recent years, forcing the schools to rely more heavily on substitutes and causing teachers to forgo preparation time to fill the gaps.

Cotton said all schools will be open during the strike, though learning might “look different” and some special education services may not be available. She said breakfast and lunch will continue to be served. If parents decide not to send their children to school, she said students may receive independent study.

(Photo: United Teachers of Richmond rally outside the West Contra Costa Unified School District board meeting on Sept. 24, by Xavier Zamora)

WCCUSD teachers approve strike vote, after talks hit an impasse