San Francisco Unified educators approve potential strike

By Jose Fabian

United Educators of San Francisco members approved a possible strike as negotiations continue with the school district, the union announced on Saturday.

More than 5,200 San Francisco Unified School District teachers voted and nearly 98% voted in favor of a strike.  

The last fact-finding session was held on Jan. 23, and the school district said it and the union could not reach an agreement on “educator pay raises, fully funded family health care benefits, as well as union requests to include existing Sanctuary policies and policies for unhoused families in contract language.”

A three-year stabilization plan was presented to the union that had the following, the district said.

• Identifying a fiscal pathway for the District to fully fund family health benefits
• 6% raise over three years (2% each year for next three years)
• Salary rate augmentations for hard-to-staff special education paraeducators
• Solutions to address special education workload with a focused pilot program

The school district said the union ended that fact-finding session without presenting any counteroffers.

CBS News Bay Area previously spoke to union president Cassandra Curiel, who said, “The district hasn’t changed their position since May of 2025. That is an untenable condition for us to be in.”

The union on Saturday said the next step is to wait for the non-binding, fact-finding recommendations from the third party who was at the session. According to the school district, the fact-finding chairperson is expected to issue their report on Feb. 4.

“If both groups don’t come to an agreement, the union’s more than 6,000 members will strike for the first time in nearly 50 years,” Curiel said.

“My team and I are working hard to reach a fair agreement that is centered on what is best for students while also preparing responsibly in the event of any disruption,” SFUSD Superintendent Doctor Maria Su said in an email to parents. “I recognize that uncertainty is stressful and will provide as much notice as possible in the event of a strike. ” 

The school district said if a strike does happen, it still intends to have 180 days of instruction, as legally obligated.