RICHMOND — Picket lines formed in front of schools Thursday morning, manned by thousands of West Contra Costa Unified School District educators, facility staff, students and family members demanding better pay, benefits and working conditions.
United Teachers of Richmond and Teamsters Local 856, two district unions representing nearly 3,000 employees from educators and psychologists to cafeteria workers and security, began their joint strikes after about 10 months of negotiations.
The members staff a district of about 28,000 students spread out across dozens of schools in El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules and El Sobrante.
Speaking from the picket line outside El Cerrito High School on Thursday morning and again to a large crowd of strikers gathered outside the district administration building in Richmond, United Teachers of Richmond President Francisco Ortiz preached a message of unity and commitment to their fight.
“Our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions and neither are acceptable,” Ortiz said. “We are united in demanding fair pay that keeps the people who care for our students right here in this county, full staffing that ends the churn and restores consistency in our classrooms, dignity and respect for every worker who makes learning possible.”
United Teachers of Richmond is asking the district for a 10% raise divided over two years, 100% employer funded health care, reduced case loads and class sizes, a commitment to improve working conditions like heating and cooling systems, among other provisions they say will help attract and retain staff.
In its latest offer, the district countered with a 3% raise and incremental increases in health care benefits from the current 80% provided to 90% by the start of 2027.
A tentative deal offering Teamsters members a 3% raise had been reached but members voted the agreement down and decided to strike in solidarity with United Teachers of Richmond. The unions have “me too” provisions in their contracts that require the district to provide them with the same benefits, including similar salary increases.
Union members and district officials have both argued the other party has the power to end the strike. Ortiz and Superintendent Cheryl Cotton individually announced midday Thursday that bargaining teams for United Teachers of Richmond and the district would be meeting at 4 p.m. that day.
“My hope is that we can reach agreement on salary and benefits and then turn our attention to collaboratively outline an action plan to address the deep-rooted, systemic issues that exist in our organization. I believe our discussions will be guided by the shared goal of providing strong support for our students,” Cotton said in a public statement Thursday.
Recent measures reportedly taken by the district have added to discontent among union members. Some staff claimed they received a message on Tuesday warning them that “any encouragement of students to ‘cut’ school, even for a walkout, or to not attend school, can also be considered contributing to the delinquency of a minor because of California’s compulsory education laws.”
“If students leave campus, the district cannot be responsible for their safety. Off-campus protests, particularly those that disrupt traffic or create safety risks or hazardous conditions, may lead to law enforcement interventions, which we do not want with any of our children,” read the message shared with this news organization.
The district did not respond to a request for comment or verification of the message.
District officials claimed in a message Thursday that individuals had blocked some entrances to school sites, including some special education students, but did not specify which campuses. The union said it heard “nothing but positive experiences” on picket lines.
Another district message reportedly sent out Wednesday alerted staff that they were required to turn in their keys, laptops and other district-issued equipment before leaving campus. Staff members who did not plan to participate in the strike could pick up their items in the morning and were required to drop them off again at the end of the school day each day of the strike.
The district also planned to operate under “secure mode” during the strike, according to another message shared with this news organization. Non-working staff, visitors and volunteers would not be allowed on campus under secure mode as a safety precaution, according to the message.
Ortiz said taking staff’s keys was a fear and intimidation tactic that framed teachers as dangerous and adversarial.
Kayla Rodriguez, an AP literature teacher at Richmond High School and one of the dozens of striking union members picketing Thursday morning, said her laptop and keys were confiscated in front of students about 20 minutes before the school day was over Wednesday. The move showed a distrust in staff and contradicted the district’s public messaging about disagreeing respectfully in front of students, she said.
Picket line captain Cantika Sasono, a 9th grade algebra 1 teacher at Richmond High School, shrugged off the decision to confiscate items from staff, chalking the reported move up to an interest by the district to maintain control. Negotiations are no longer about respect, Sasono said, noting union members remain committed to striking as long as necessary.
“We will strike as long as we need to. The district needs to show us that they’re ready to bargain in good faith and that they’re ready to provide a meaningful proposal that we can actually negotiate with,” Sasono said.
Administrators have routinely raised concerns about the district’s financial stability and warn that meeting the unions’ demands could result in additional cuts. District leaders haven’t specified where exactly cuts would be made. Educators have argued the district’s assertions are empty threats given that staffing is already an issue. They suggest reductions to outside contracts could help cover the raises and benefits improvements they’re requesting.
Beyond their own convictions, community support is helping the unions fight, members said.
Board of Education trustees Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, Guadalupe Enllana and Cinthia Hernandez were at the strike rally outside the West Contra Costa Unified School District Administration Building in Richmond on Thursday.
Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez and Councilmember Claudia Jimenez shared their support for the unions as speakers during the rally. Two days earlier, they brought forward a unanimously approved item setting aside $50,000 to help with emergency programming for families impacted by the strike.
El Cerrito Mayor Carolyn Wysinger also visited the picket line at El Cerrito High School on Thursday morning, and students and parents have joined the strike across the school district’s dozens of campuses.
Ambika Maharaj, a striking Teamsters member who has worked in campus security at El Cerrito High School since 2009, said the support has been heartening during a time when many of the staff feel undervalued by their employer.
“The students and parents care about us,” Maharaj said. “The district is supposed to care about us too.”