Strike Update

Teachers and their supporters march Dec. 6 at Alvarado Adult School.

About 1,500 educators represented by the United Teachers of Richmond (UTR) will continue their strike and picketing at all West Contra Costa Unified District schools on Tuesday.

District and UTR sources agreed that no talks took place Sunday or Monday. The two parties disagreed about whether the delay was warranted.

They did both agree that lengthy and productive talks took place on Saturday, when the district’s team presented UTR with the school board’s proposal to resolve the labor dispute and discussed that proposal with UTR’s negotiators.

At that point, the UTR bargaining team met and discussed the proposal at a meeting that lasted until around midnight. UTR then presented the district with a counterproposal.

No Talks Sunday or Monday

Perceptions differ about what happened next. From UTR’s point of view, the district failed to follow through on its promise to continue talks on Sunday and would not meet with UTR as the union requested on Monday.

The district said its “fiscal team” needed time to “thoroughly yet promptly” evaluate the counterproposal “with the assistance of statewide fiscal experts.”

Possible Meeting Tuesday

“The district has invited UTR to continue negotiations on Tuesday, Dec. 9,” its news release said.

UTR President Francisco Ortiz blamed the delay in negotiations for extending the strike.

“We’re ready at any moment to go back to the table with them,” said UTR Vice President Gabrielle Micheletti. “We will continue striking until the district bargains with us and we reach an agreement with them.”

Teamsters Tentative Agreement

Meanwhile, the 1,500 classified employees represented by Teamsters Local 856 officially “suspended” their strike after their leadership reached a new tentative agreement with the district. However, no vote on the latest offer was scheduled.

Last month Teamsters Local 856 voted down a tentative agreement that had been reached with union leadership.

According to the Teamsters website, the new offer is a three-year contract that will include 100% paid Teamster medical benefits for full-time employees who work at least 37.5 hours per week starting in January 2026. Full-time employees who receive cash in lieu of benefits will receive $400 per month and part-time employees will receive a pro-rated amount. Teamsters will get a 7% raise spread over the first two years of the contract and there is a salary reopener on a pay increase in the third year.

The Teamsters also have a “me too” clause, meaning that if other unions get bigger raises they will get the same.