Sacramento school strike updates: Bargaining between unions and district to resume today
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Sacramento City Unified Schools labor strike explained
Sacramento City Unified School District teachers are poised to walk out and strike, affecting thousands of students. The Teachers Association’s last strike was 2019.
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Just days before Sacramento City Unified School District teachers and classified staff plan set to strike, the parties are returning to the bargaining table with the school district.
Contract negotiations are expected to begin at 4:00 pm on Monday.
The Sacramento City Teachers Association and SEIU Local 1021 are at odds with the district over teacher staffing shortages, pay and the district’s plans to manage challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The impasse centers on a contract reopener triggered by the district’s plans to spend tens of millions of dollars it received from the federal government in COVID-19 relief packages.
The unions last week announced their intent to strike and released a breakdown of the disagreement by a panel for the California Public Employment Relations Board. The panel consisted of a representative appointed by the district, a representative appointed by the teachers union and an independent member.
That so-called fact-finding report was generally supportive of union points, including calling for a cost-of-living wage increase.
“The school board and the superintendent seem to be in no hurry to get a deal done, despite the results of the fact-finder’s report, our willingness to meet, and having an infusion of dollars from state and federal sources,” said SCTA president David Fisher. “As absurd as it may sound, because of the district’s intransigence, the only way that we’re likely to get a teacher in front of every classroom is to be prepared to walk out of our classrooms this week.”
Sacramento City Unified announced that due to staffing shortages, schools could close on Wednesday for the district’s 40,000 students. Teachers, staff and supporters plan to meet in front of the Serna Center at 11:30 a.m.
Superintendent Jorge Aguilar in that announcement said the district was committed to resolving the dispute before the strike. District officials worked through the weekend to prepare for today’s bargaining.
It’s unclear how long the strike could last if it takes place, but union leaders put out a strike schedule for Wednesday through Friday.
On Thursday, supporters will meet in front of the Sacramento County Office of Education and on Friday they will meet at Sacramento City Hall and Cesar Chavez Park.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 12:04 PM.
