San Francisco educators vote overwhelmingly to authorize strike

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco educators voted to authorize a strike amid an ongoing failure to reach an agreement with the district on a new contract, despite several months of negotiations.

United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) represents the San Francisco Unified teachers and said 97% of them voted in favor of a strike.

Now that the majority of educators authorized a strike vote, the next step requires another membership vote to allow the leadership to call a strike before a strike date can be set."

"UESF's big bargaining team goes to the table Monday, October 16, knowing that educators are ready and willing to fight for the schools our students deserve," said UESF President Cassondra Curiel. "Now is the time for SFUSD management to take our proposals seriously. They can avoid this crisis of their own making by coming to the bargaining table on Monday ready to negotiate a fair contract now!"

Teachers and administrators are negotiating over pay increases. According to previous reports, teachers were looking for a two-year deal with a $12,000 increase while the district was offering $10,000.

The district wouldn't comment about the strike authorization vote, instead referring to an Oct. 3 statement that says SFUSD is offering a historic contract aimed at attracting and retaining top educators, even as the district faces a structural shortfall with declining enrollment.

Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne said in part "The fiscal health of the district is vital to our mission of serving students; our decisions are based on what will best support students' learning and well-being... I remain hopeful that we will reach an agreement with our labor partners."

The union and the district have been negotiating since March.