No settlement after marathon talks in New Haven District teachers strike

UNION CITY, Ca. (BCN) - After a marathon session that ended after midnight Saturday, striking teachers and officials with the New Haven Unified School District are scheduled to resume contract negotiations Sunday morning.

The talks overnight followed the fifth day of the strike, as members of the New Haven Teachers Association walked picket lines with parents and students.

Union members waited for hours outside the Alameda County Office of Education, as negotiations took place from 1:30 p.m. Friday until past midnight Saturday morning.

The teachers are asking for a 10% raise over the next two school years. The district has offered a 1% raise for next year and a one-time 3% payment.

The district is also offering a permanent 0.5% increase if it's able to secure an additional $1 million in revenue, and another 0.5% if it can add yet another $1 million, according to district officials.

The district maintains that declining enrollment and budgetary deficits prevent it from reaching the estimated $20 million over three years needed to meet the teachers' demands.

The school district includes roughly 11,000 students at two high schools, two middle schools and seven elementary schools in Union City and parts of Hayward.