The Strike Begins
- Livable El Cerrito
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
Teachers and Teamsters in the West Contra Costa Unified School District went on strike today and began picketing at all district schools. They started at 7:45 a.m.
The striking workers are about 1,450 educators represented by the United Teachers of Richmond and 1,500 classified employees represented by the Teamsters. Teamsters represent the district’s security workers, school secretaries and office staff, paraprofessionals, custodians, cafeteria workers, occupational therapists, glaziers, locksmiths, carpenters, welders, and plumbers.
El Cerrito High School
Teachers and Teamsters picketing at El Cerrito High School chanted, “For all our students, we demand the best!”
A UTR rep distributed “La Boleadora, the ECHS UTR Strike Zine,” which included ‘Chants of the Day’, a ‘Solidarity Shoutout’ for Iva Palmer, the lyrics to “Solidarity Forever,” and the following horoscope for today:
“The stars predict that this will be a day of change. Your routines disrupted, you’ll need to lean on those around you for support. Keep moving – when your world is in flux, standing still is the last thing you want to do.”
The zine also summarized “the latest from bargaining.”
It said: “The district offered UTR a 3% raise delivered as a 2% starting in June 2025, and 1% in January 2026. That would mean no raise next year! Other proposals included a gradual increase in healthcare to 90% over two years, lowering P.E. class sizes by one student, and an increase in Speech Language Pathologist caseloads, among a few other claw-backs in other articles that actively make things worse than our current bargaining agreement.”
Hector Garcia, a high school campus safety officer and Teamsters shop steward, said the contract offered by the district was “insufficient.”
“We’re here today to fight for a better proposal,” Garcia said.
Fairmont Elementary School
At Fairmont Elementary School, teachers and Teamsters marching along Stockton Avenue were joined by some parents and students. A fifth-grade teacher, Mark Brizzi, played the drums.
It appeared that the buses that usually bring special education students had not come by the time school started at 8:30.
The picket line stretched from Kearney Street to the library and beyond. Two or three times, cars drove up and the picket captain halted marchers so the cars could safely pass.
“As you can see, we have a wonderful turnout of teachers and Teamsters,” said Merissa Schade, a picket captain. “I am a speech language pathologist. We are fighting for our students. The students who might not have a voice, we are their voice.”
Harding School
At Harding School, a refreshment stand with coffee and donuts had been set up for strikers and their supporters. Most of the refreshments were provided by parents.
Pickets marched on Fairmount Avenue and Ashbury Avenue.
“It’s been great so far,” said Aaron Darden, a fourth-grade math and science teacher. "We know this may take awhile. We need a contract that provides teachers and staff with enough to keep them in the district.”
Superintendent’s Message
The following superintendent's message is quoted verbatim:
“We know the employee strike in our District is very unsettling for our students and families. We have been working hard to ensure our students who come to school are safe.
Unfortunately, we are already hearing that some individuals are blocking entrances to our schools this morning, including blocking some of our special education students. We have asked that people not block students and families who are trying to come to school. They are making a difficult choice that we should all respect, even though we might disagree with it. I would also like to remind our families that independent study is available.
For independent study information, please visit our website at www.wccusd.net.
We also have heard statements from UTR leadership that we have not responded to them, which is inaccurate. Our negotiations team met with UTR’s bargaining team on Monday afternoon and also communicated yesterday, making a proposal based on the Factfinding report’s recommendation. And early this morning, we reached out to UTR.
We are serious about getting this matter resolved. We acknowledge that our employees deserve salary and benefits increases and we want a resolution, but this cannot happen while we are on strike and not at the negotiations table.”
No City-Run Before- and After-School Care
Responding to a question raised by parents, a spokesman for the city of El Cerrito said before- and after-school care through a city program has been suspended effective today.
“The City has been in close contact with the District Superintendent’s Office and we confirmed that we are unable to utilize both school facilities and city-operated facilities located on school property at this time,” wrote Will Provost, assistant to the city manager.
“Regarding internal City staff, our goal is to keep part-time represented and part-time seasonal childcare employees working during this period, especially during the holiday season,” Provost continued. “We are working to identify alternative work assignments beginning Monday. We remain hopeful that the strike will be resolved quickly so we can resume our programs, welcome El Cerrito’s children back as soon as possible, and have our employees return to serving our community.”
