Oakland teachers ready for third day of strike after union, district fail to reach an agreement

ByLuz Pena KGO logo
Monday, February 25, 2019
Oakland teachers ready for third day of strike
Oakland teachers are getting ready to strike for a third day on Monday.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Oakland teachers are getting ready to strike for a third day on Monday. The Oakland Unified School District and Oakland Education Association failed to reach an agreement on Sunday.

Oakland teachers are asking for a 12 percent raise over three years, more nurses, councilors and smaller class sizes.

VIDEO: Oakland school officials give update on teacher strike

The Oakland Unified School District held a press conference Sunday afternoon to announce that a teacher strike would continue into its third day Monday after talks fell apart over the weekend.

The district is committing to reducing class sizes by one percent and offered an 8.5 percent increase over a four year time period.

"The district showed us that they are not prepared to stop the teacher's retention crises, they are not prepared to have smaller classes and provide resources for our students and that's unacceptable," said an Oakland teacher during a Facebook Live conference on Sunday.

OAKLAND TEACHER STRIKE: Resources for parents here

A fact-finding report showed that the Oakland Unified school district cannot afford a 12 percent increase, the recommendation was six percent raise retroactive from 2017 to 2018.

"Unfortunately the OEA has declined to come to the middle on the primary issues. In fact, OEA submitted the same package from May 2018 plus a new provision with increase financial impact essentially moving in the opposite direction," said OUSD Superintend Kyla Johnson-Trammell.

School officials confirmed classes will remain in session even with the strike.

Parents of students affected by the strike have been dealing with daycare issues in different ways, including taking students into their own homes and watching them while their parents are at work.

Take a look at the latest stories and videos about the Oakland teacher strike.