Teachers unions on both sides of the Bay Bridge are threatening to strike.  Yesterday, an Oakland Teachers Association representative said the union shortly would be announcing their “scheduled work action” plans while San Francisco teachers gave a big thumbs up to the union’s plans to strike if the district does not go along with their pay demands.  The SF union representatives said that a strike could happen by mid-April if negotiations don’t go their way.  Rumors in Oakland have been flying about a possible strike as early as next week, although parents and teachers have been working on plans to run “strike schools” for quite some time. 

The big disagreement in Oakland is over how much the teachers pay for their top-flight health coverage.  According to the Oakland Tribune, the union has refused to agree to its members paying more than a half a percent of their salary towards any future premium increases.  The district wants the teachers to share in any future health care cost increases.  My guess is if the Oakland teachers strike, they will not have the public support they anticipate.  There are a few cars driving around with handmade “I support Oakland teachers” signs, but given how much the rest of us pay towards our health coverage, I don’t think that the public will be thrilled with the teachers walking out of their classrooms over paying a small share of their health care premiums.

According to the SF Chronicle, the big disagreement in SF is over money—the union wants a 10 percent raise, plus a one-time 1percent bonus.  The district (which is busy closing schools due to lack of funds) has offered a 7.5 percent raise.  I can’t argue with the some of the other demands the union is making: rodent extermination, a working phone line in each class and a first aid kit in each class.  Teachers ought to have rat-free classes with Band-Aids and a sure way to communicate with the front office or the outside world.  But a 10 percent raise and a bonus when the district is struggling to keep schools open?  Let ‘em strike.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 30th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.