SF Teachers Strike Has No End in Sight as Union, District Spar Over Health Care

It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that San Francisco schools will reopen this week as the city’s teachers strike drags on — and the parties appear to have no set plans to return to the bargaining table.

As of midday Thursday, it’s not clear if either the San Francisco Unified School District or the United Educators of San Francisco is working on a new contract proposal, and bargaining hadn’t resumed since the union said it left the table at about 1 a.m. Thursday. Both told reporters that they’re awaiting the other’s move.

“Last night, after promising us a proposal, we were left waiting for eight hours, only to hear that the district had nothing,” UESF President Cassondra Curiel said outside the War Memorial Veterans Building, near City Hall, where negotiations have been taking place. “We haven’t heard an hour yet about when we’re supposed to arrive.”

But the district said it’s waiting on that call to come from the union: “At 1:33 a.m., SFUSD passed our latest counteroffer to UESF outlining our latest proposal for wages, health care and special education. The UESF team has not yet responded,” it said in a statement via email.

“The SFUSD bargaining team, comprised of veteran and expert professionals, are ready to meet with the union’s bargaining team to continue negotiations,” SFUSD said in a statement just before 9 a.m. “SFUSD continues to work around the clock to come to an agreement that honors our educators and is also fiscally responsible.”

While negotiations appear to stall, it’s also becoming increasingly likely that schools will remain shuttered through mid-next week, after planned holidays Monday and Tuesday for President’s Day and the Lunar New Year. As of 1:45 p.m., the district hasn’t made a formal announcement about whether campuses will reopen on Friday.

Union supporters returned to the picket lines on Thursday morning, and more than a thousand headed to a midday rally at Embarcadero Plaza. The War Memorial Building, meanwhile, which has been bustling with bargaining teams since the weekend, was unusually quiet.

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Throughout bargaining this week, the parties have appeared to make some progress on wages: The union seemed amenable to the district’s offer of a 10% raise over two years for paraeducators, though it has not agreed to the rate formally.

They’ve also slightly narrowed a wide gap in proposed raises for certificated staff, which include teachers, social workers and counselors. The union had originally asked for a 9% raise over two years, while the district offered a 6% raise over three. On Wednesday, the union proposed a 7% raise over two years, while the district offered 4%.

UESF said Thursday that their main sticking points in negotiations remain health care and special education working conditions.

“We’re ready to make this deal. The district knows what they need to get this done,” Curiel said. “It’s time for the district management, SFUSD school board and everyone who cares about our cities, children and communities to come together now to figure it out.”

The union is demanding full benefits coverage for families of four, while the district’s latest offer on Monday would cover 80% of health premiums at the lowest rate.

The proposal to the union on Wednesday morning also included creating a working group to assess special education workloads, though the union has requested that the district transition from a caseload model, which divides work by student, to one that factors in each student’s needs.

The district has not shared the proposal it said it delivered at 1:30 this morning.

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