Thousands of Oakland teachers headed to the picket lines Thursday instead of the classroom as the teachers' union and the school district continued to spar over a new contract.
While the Oakland Unified School District has offered significant raises for teachers, the union has said the fight is about much more than just a paycheck.
Hundreds of teachers, parents and students gathered Thursday to call out the district, accusing them of bargaining in bad faith.
"They really have failed to even discuss the majority of our proposals in any meaningful way and that is illegal and that is why we filed an unfair labor practice charge and why we are on strike here today," Oakland Education Association Vice President Kampala Taiz-Rancife said.
It's an accusation the district has firmly refuted.
"We have been negotiating every day," Oakland Unified School District Board President Mike Hutchinson said. "To claim that we have negotiated in bad faith is incorrect."
The Oakland Education Association said despite the district's claims that they are close to reaching an agreement, bargaining sessions have been canceled and not enough progress has been made.
"I want OUSD to be able to step up and realize that this is bigger than just teachers' salary," parent Malinda Morales said. "There are disparities that our students face."
Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined the striking teachers in solidarity.
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The strike comes after months of unsuccessful negotiations over pay, benefits, classroom conditions and support services for students.
In its latest proposal, the district is offering a one-time $5,000 bonus, a retroactive 10% raise and a minimum 13% raise for all teachers.
Educators said they are committed to staying on strike until all of their demands are met. Meanwhile, the school district claims it doesn't have enough money to address every concern.
"Compromise is at the heart of what we have to do," Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell said. "I know that is with students, that’s with our families. For some of these more complex issues, we are going to have to have other discussions because it is going to take far more than just the district to really have some serious solutions."
For the last 48 hours, the district claims discussions have largely focused on addressing "common good" proposals, many of which they say aren't part of the mandated negotiations at all. But educators argue those needs are critical to students and teachers' success.
"The school board has not authorized negotiators to go outside of that scope," Hutchinson said.
