West Contra Costa Unified teachers, district reach tenatative deal to end four-day strike
By Tim Fang
A four-day teachers’ strike at the West Contra Costa Unified School District has come to an end, after a tentative agreement was reached.
According to statements from both the district and the United Teachers of Richmond obtained by CBS News Bay Area, an agreement was reached early Wednesday morning. Normal operation at the district’s 55 schools will resume on Thursday.
“We are relieved that the strike is over and our students and teachers will be reunited in the classroom on Thursday,” district spokesperson Raechelle Forrest said in a statement.
More than 1,400 teachers, counselors, psychologists, speech pathologists, nurses and early childhood educators began striking Thursday over pay, benefits and staffing. The strike was the first ever in the district, which serves about 28,000 students in the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules and in several surrounding communities.
“Our fight for stability and respect was not easy and is not over. But make no mistake, our historic strike has broken a vicious cycle of neglect and disinvestment,” union president Francisco Ortiz said.
The union said in a statement that the deal was reached following a 12-hour bargaining session that began Tuesday afternoon and ended past 2 a.m.
Among the agreements reached between the district and teachers include an 8% wage increase over two years along with 100% fully-paid family healthcare by the end of June 2027. West Contra Costa Unified had previously proposed a 3% increase.
The agreement also includes retention bonuses for newly hired educators who had graduated from the district and bonuses to attract and retain new special education teachers. In addition, protections for teachers recruited from overseas was also agreed to.
“By forcing WCCUSD to invest in improved wages and healthcare, we’ve made important progress in ending the District’s decades-long staffing crisis,” said Gabrielle Micheletti, the union’s vice president and co-bargaining chair.
Officials said the contract must still be ratified by union members and the school board.
