Oakland teachers, district reach agreement on new contract ending 7-day strike
By KPIX Staff
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OAKLAND, California (KPIX) — After days of contentious talks, negotiators for Oakland teachers and the district reached a tentative agreement on a new work contract early Monday, ending a 7-day strike that impacted 35,000 students and threatened the end of the school year.
Over the weekend, agreement was reached on what had been a major stumbling block — four common good issues including housing for homeless students and school closures.
Teacher union officials were quick to point out in a Saturday night news release that the agreement was reached in talks held away from the bargaining table.
The new 2.5-year deal — which will need ratification by the rank-and-file — includes a 15.5 percent salary increase for most teachers with an even greater percentage increase for those at the bottom of the salary scale. Also agreed to are retroactive pay and bilingual stipends for teachers with dual language aptitudes, among other gains.
“Beyond the economic gains, this hard-fought tentative agreement, if ratified by our members, will help ensure that educators, parents, students and other stakeholders have a voice in the decision-making process,” said Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, OEA’s Vice President.
The district’s 80 schools have remained open during the strike with meals being offered and office staff supervising, but only about 1,200 students have shown up to school since the strike started May 4.
The teachers union said regular classes for OUSD’s 35,000 students will resume on Tuesday, with schools open Monday in a modified “transition day” format.
With just nine days left in the school year, pressure had been mounting on both sides to reach an agreement and return students to the classroom. The first high school graduation is tentatively scheduled for May 22, a week from Monday.
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