Dear Commons Community,

Various media are reporting that the Oakland Unified School District and the union representing striking teachers have come to a tentative agreement after a week-long teacher strike.

The deal —an “historic no-concessions contract,” according to the union — comes after more than 3,000 teachers and staff walked off the job on February 21. The union reports that 95 percent of our members were on the picket line and 97 percent of students were out of school during the strike.

“When we strike, we win,” the Oakland Education Association‏ posted to Twitter ahead of a Friday evening press conference.

The new contract would provide teachers a raise of 14 percent, Oakland Unified School District announced Friday. That’s split into an an 11 percent on-going salary increase and a one-time 3 percent bonus for educators.

“Today marks a sea change for OUSD as we take a major step in support of our teachers and students,” the release quotes Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell as saying. “Our teachers are the core of everything we do as a school district, and we are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that shows them how valuable they are.”

The agreement also includes a decrease in class sizes and an increase in student support roles — including counselors, psychologists and speech pathologists — OEA announced. 

The tentative agreement will be subject to discussion and a member ratification vote, the union said. There will also be a 24-hour review period.

Oakland educators have worked without a contract since mid-2017. The teachers are the third group of public school educators from one of the nation’s 50 largest cities to strike this year after their Los Angeles and Denver counterparts. Chicago also had a charter school teachers’ strike.

Congratulations to the teachers, the union and the City of Oakland!

Tony

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