Oakland Teachers Union Moves One Step Closer to a Possible Strike

Updated 4:20 p.m. Thursday

Leaders of the union representing Oakland teachers called for a strike authorization vote Wednesday, claiming the district has failed to provide transparent and timely financial information.

If more than half of the union’s 3,000 members vote in favor, they will be authorized to hold a one-day walkout set for May 1.

The union is currently bargaining with Oakland Unified School District leadership after it triggered escalated fiscal oversight in December and voted to approve layoffs to help address a $95 million budget deficit in February.

“We’ve attempted to gather information all year. OUSD’s response to those requests has been delayed,” union president Kampala Taiz-Rancifer said. “They have cut members’ jobs, and we have to … understand what are the resources in the school district, along with whether or not the job losses are actually necessary.”

She said that union leaders’ recent discussions with the county superintendent and OUSD’s chief business officer seeking answers to budget questions have been unproductive and contributed to the call for a strike authorization vote.

After the meetings, Taiz-Rancifer said the union was given “data dumps” that were difficult to understand and parse through.

“Those are meant to confuse, meant to delay,” she told KQED.

The district said it is committed to transparency and open communication with the union.

“We are hopeful that we can work together to find solutions and ensure a strong finish to the school year for all Oakland students,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

The move comes after Oakland’s school board certified a negative budget — meaning it doesn’t have the funds to pay its bills over the next two years — but quickly reversed course last month. The union has called the move misleading and accused the district of “manufacturing” a $95 million budget deficit.

“OUSD has a pattern of saying that they do not have resources, and then at the end of the school year, they are operating with a surplus,” Taiz-Rancifer said.

In its second interim report released last month, the district’s deficit shrank to $12 million, and it pulled back the negative status. The significant improvement followed the school board’s approval of a laundry list of “budget balancing solutions” in December and hundreds of possible layoffs in February, which could cost about 100 full-time positions and exclude some summer work for even more — resulting in a pay loss for many employees, according to union leaders.

If the union does strike, it will be the fourth time since 2019. Just two years ago, a work stoppage paused instruction for more than a week, only ending after the district agreed to a retroactive 10% raise and continued salary increase between 11% and 23% for staffers.

In recent budget conversations, the district has cited those costs as part of the reason for its current financial struggle. The raises were paid for in part with one-time COVID-19 relief funds that have now dried up, and OUSD has been hesitant to make cuts elsewhere.

Separately, Oakland educators — in alignment with unions across the state — kicked off contract negotiations with the district in February, demanding smaller class sizes, more resources and better wages and benefits for teachers.

Union members will have until April 25 to vote on the strike authorization, after which the organization will decide whether to stage a walkout. Labor leaders say they are continuing to bargain with OUSD and hope to avoid a strike.

“That can only happen if there is a transparent and accountable relationship between the District and teachers, students, families, and our community,” Taiz-Rancifer said in a statement.