Teachers OK Strike

Tuesday's announcement from the United Teachers of Richmond

After a vote by nearly 1,400 educators represented by the United Teachers of Richmond (UTR), the union announced Tuesday that 98.4% of the members who cast ballots said they are willing to strike.

The announcement came the day after an emergency school board meeting at which Superintendent Cheryl Cotton got permission to pay substitute teachers up to $550 per day -- more than double the currently posted $250 per day rate -- if the substitutes take over classes during a strike.

November Strike Date Possible

A teacher strike could happen as early as mid-November if no agreement is reached.

If there is a strike, it will be the first in the district’s history.

Teamsters who work as custodians and in a variety of other district jobs have also voted to authorize a strike, with 96% of their members voting yes.

In teacher negotiations, pay is a key issue. About six months passed with UTR asking for a 10% raise while the district offered 0%. On Sept. 30, the district offered a raise for the first time. The offer was 2% and the union rejected it.

Policies and practices related to class sizes, special education, filling teacher vacancies, and maintaining stable classes with permanent teachers are other issues.

State Impasse Process

The district and the union are currently engaged in a statutory impasse process prescribed by state law. Mediation has ended and the next step is a hearing before a state-appointed panel (formerly known as fact-finding).

Before that hearing date can be set, the district has until Oct. 24 to turn in documents to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board, according to Richmondside. The state then has 10 days to set a hearing date, a UTR spokeswoman said. After the hearing, the state has 20 days to publish a report. The union must give 48 hours notice of the strike.

Reactions from Harding Parents

On Wednesday, parents at Harding Elementary School reacted to the strike vote news on Wednesday morning at drop-off time outside the school.

“I haven’t been following it other than the district being in debt going way back,” said one parent. “It’s hard to have a sense of whether this is incompetence, so let’s fix it, or what is going on. I wonder, is this because of Covid?”

Two parents said they had not heard anything about a possible strike. One was not ready to comment, while the other said, “If the teachers strike it is probably for a good reason.”

Two other parents said they have been vaguely aware of a possible strike and felt sympathetic to teachers.

“If anyone needs more pay it’s the teachers,” one man said. “But I hope they can work that all out before the kids are home and parents can’t go to work.”

$750 Per Day Substitute Proposal

At the emergency school board meeting Monday, Cotton initially asked for authorization to pay $750 per day to substitute teachers who cross picket lines, saying that job would be unpleasant and “challenging,” according to a published report in Richmondside.

Board member Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy said he wanted the rate to be $400 per day, the highest substitute pay currently in the area. He said paying a very high rate would anger full-time credentialed teachers who are striking, in part, for more pay.

Substitute teachers need only an emergency permit, although the district currently employs some fully credentialed retired teachers at a higher rate.

The board voted 4-1, with Gonzalez Hoy dissenting, to pay substitutes up to $550 per day during any future strike.

Superintendent Cheryl Cotton and School Board President Leslie Reckler at a listening session this fall.

Cotton Is ‘Hopeful a Strike Can Be Avoided’

The school board hired Cotton in June, givng her a three-year contract with a base salary of $325,000 a year.

At that time, Cotton said: “It’s a plus that when I was here I worked closely with our union as human resources director,” she said. “I want our educators and support staff to have the support they need.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the superintendent’s office released a statement in response to the strike vote, saying the district remains hopeful that a strike can be avoided but has approved an emergency resolution authorizing actions the district can take to “keep students safe” if there is a strike.

Some Details of District Offer

The statement continues, “WCCUSD’s current proposal to both bargaining units includes a 2% ongoing salary increase effective July 1, 2025 as well as a 5% increase to the District’s medical benefit contribution. In total, the offer exceeds the 2.3% Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) the District received this year. While the District is currently facing a significant structural budget deficit, we feel this proposal reflects the District’s sincere, good-faith effort to reach a responsible resolution and avoid the disruption and harm a strike would cause for students and families.”