Third day of strike in West Contra Costa school district
Teachers and staff in the West Contra Costa Unified School District hold strike signs.
EL CERRITO, Calif. - Teachers in the West Contra Costa Unified School District entered the third day of their strike Monday after weekend negotiations failed to produce a contract agreement, according to union and district officials.
District and union representatives met for seven hours Saturday but did not reach a deal. Negotiations resumed Monday and are expected to reconvene on Tuesday morning. The two sides had been bargaining for ten months before teachers walked off the job Thursday.
"We’re still asking for 5% this year and 4% this year and 100% healthcare by the end of the contract. They ignored a lot of things that we said about improvements for Special Ed and on-campus safety. We didn’t want to let them get away with that – those things really matter," said Eric Jepson, an English teacher at El Cerrito High School who is part of the bargaining team.
"Some of our Special Ed providers don’t have their own spaces, they have to keep all of their stuff in their car. When they meet students they meet in closets. One Special Ed provider has to meet in a bathroom," said Jepson.
With talks stalled, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has offered to intervene in hopes of helping both sides reach an agreement.
Educators say they are significantly underpaid compared with other Bay Area districts, contributing to what they describe as a severe staffing crisis. The district began the school year with 70 vacancies, and union officials say about 1,500 educators have left over the past five years.
The strike has drawn large crowds. Thousands took part in two demonstrations last week, and hundreds gathered Saturday for a rally and candlelight vigil.
"History is going down for sure. The district needs to step up because we step up every day. It’s time to ratify a fair contract," para-educator Tina Gamez said at the event, adding that educators want better pay, more support in classrooms and smaller class sizes.
About 1,500 Teamsters members — including service and maintenance employees — also joined the strike last week. The union reached a tentative agreement Sunday on a three-year contract that includes a 3% raise retroactive to July, a 4% raise in 2026 and a wage review in 2027. Those workers returned to their jobs Monday.
Teachers, however, remain on strike. Picket lines went up about 45 minutes before schools opened around the district Monday, and the union planned a late-morning rally at Richmond Civic Center.
District officials say they are committed to keeping schools open during the walkout. They said they are reviewing a counterproposal from the union submitted over the weekend and invited teachers back to the bargaining table Tuesday.
"(I'm) excited that they actually want to talk to us, (but) annoyed that they’re taking 3 days to get back to us," said Jepson. "They say they want to stop the strike, but I mean we stayed in the room for 8 hours seriously considering what they gave us and then they waited 3 days to even talk to us."