‘We will do whatever it takes’: West Contra Costa educators to strike Thursday

RICHMOND West Contra Costa County educators say they re still gearing up for a strike despite the release of a state statement meant to help move the teachers union and district administrators closer to a new contract United Teachers of Richmond which represents about educators across dozens of campuses alerted district leadership that the union plans to begin its strike Thursday Picketing will begin at every campus minutes before the first bell sounds the union communicated in a press release Monday evening Striking is the last resort we want to teach But we know this truth the status quo is failing our students read the press release set out by union President Francisco Ortiz This is about our students futures nothing less For nearly months bargaining teams for the West Contra Costa Unified School District and the United Teachers of Richmond have gone back and forth about key contract issues such as pay healthcare benefits class sizes and working conditions A shaky financial footing prevents the district from offering more administrators say The union counters that funding spent on outsourcing services could and should be redirected to help meet their demands Both parties have valid concerns according to the account written by arbitrator David Handsher and shared by the California Teachers Association on Nov While the union has required for a raise over two years and the district countered with a one-time raise back paid to July and another added at the start of Handsher recommended a raise broken down into three parts Handsher also recommended the district increase its healthcare contribution from the current to beginning Jan with another added at the start of Little would be gained by pushing the district to jeopardize its financial stability by overly ambitious immediate action A long term continuing effort by the district to compensate teachers and others in the bargaining unit to the maximum extent doable is needed to provide for an educational system that the society wants and deserves read the overview The description also recommended hard caps for physical schooling classes and speech pathologist matter loads additional professional rise programs to help address staffing and a survey of campuses to identify where classroom temperatures need to be addressed The union and district are not required to adopt the recommendations put forward in the summary Their written responses in which each side took issue with certain findings were also shared by the California Teachers Association After agreeing to make more than million in budget reductions over a period of about three years the district argued that millions more in cuts would be needed if they agreed to the assessment recommendations Particular elements of the recommendations including efforts to improve classroom temperatures and increase the employers contribution to healthcare were added to the district s latest offer according to a copy shared by the union Meanwhile the union argues that the recommendations don t go far enough to address what educators have described as a serious situation impacting students and staff alike Plans to strike were moving forward by Monday evening after meeting with the district at p m to receive their latest offer the union explained Chosen of the mediator s recommendations are a step in the right direction but they alone will not solve our staffing emergency Our educators and our students cannot continue to wait on temporary fixes and incremental changes Ortiz announced in a Monday morning press release We need an end to this staffing dilemma now We will do whatever it takes to ensure our classrooms and special schooling services are fully staffed and our students are getting the development they deserve Superintendent Cheryl Cotton commented in a video message that she could not comment directly on the summary until it is officially disclosed to the general That will happen after the district and the union meet again to discuss whether document recommendations can help form a new agreement Cotton explained Still Cotton announced she s heard the frustrations employees have shared about pay healthcare care benefits special schooling and staffing levels I am still clinging to hope that we can avoid a strike Cotton commented Monday morning before the decision to strike was made As a parent I know that our families are counting on us to resolve the issues and reach an agreement without interrupting our children s learning As a former lecturer elementary school principal deputy state superintendent and now your superintendent I know our employees are dedicated compassionate and that they want to be at work serving students It s our goal to help make that happen Once a strike does go into effect Cotton declared all campuses will remain open though particular special guidance services could be reduced or suspended AC Transit has not alerted the district to any changes in bus routes but have noted bus drivers may choose to not pick up or drop off students at stops if unsafe due to the strike Cotton mentioned Meals will be available for pickup for absent students and families can enroll their child in independent survey if they choose to keep them home during the strike Cotton added We know our children and families count on our schools to be open count on the breakfast and lunch our schools serve everyday and count on a safe learning context Cotton reported Schools will be open and meals will be served