16 Oct WCCUSD Prepares For Potential Strikes by Upping Temporary Educators’ Pay

The West Contra Costa school board held a special meeting Monday on what to do if two of its workers’ unions go on strike. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Teachers in the West Contra Costa Unified School District overwhelmingly authorized a strike on Tuesday, days after the union representing many classified staff did the same. 

The United Teachers of Richmond, representing around 1,500 educators, said that 98.4% of voting members authorized a strike for issues related to class sizes, wages, and understaffing. Teamsters Local 856, which represents between 1,300 and 1,500 workers, authorized a strike on Friday with 96% of the vote.

“This vote is not just about a number — it’s a statement of purpose. It’s a declaration that we are done accepting the status quo of 70+ vacancies, rotating substitutes, and unsustainable workloads,” UTR President Francisco Ortiz wrote. “This growing solidarity across unions shows one simple truth: the crisis in WCCUSD is not caused by the workers — it’s caused by the District’s misplaced priorities.”

A strike authorization vote does not necessarily mean a union is going on strike. Rather, it means that the members are given union leadership the authority to call a strike if contract negotiations fail.

The union, whose contract expired at the end of June, declared impasse on Aug. 19 after being in negotiation talks since January. 

WCCUSD proposed offering substitute educators $750 per day to staff schools if the strikes happen. School board members dropped the compensation to $550 per day during a special meeting Monday as they passed an emergency resolution that carves out several actions the district will take if the two unions — representing more than 2,800 employees — call for a work stoppage.

“While we remain hopeful that a strike can be avoided, we must be ready to minimize disruption should one occur,” Superintendent Cheryl Cotton wrote to community members about the proposal. 

Staff said $750 was first proposed to ensure the amount would be high enough to attract educators. Board member Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy, who voted against the $550 rate, said the initial proposal would be seen as “an insult” to union members. 

“If I was making [the pay he made as a teacher], and I saw you paying subs $750, I’d be on the strike line as long as it would take to pay me what I need,” said Gonzalez-Hoy. “I don’t know what we’re doing here.” 

The district’s highest-paid teacher makes around $119,300 per year, according to chief business officer Kim Moses. Moses said that retirees who come back to sub make between $550 and $650 per day. 

Mark Mitchell, the executive director of UTR, called the resolution outrageous. Mitchell criticized the board for holding a special meeting on a holiday to fund substitute educators when UTR members could “barely make ends meet.”

“There is no urgency here,” said Mitchell. “Let’s wait and see if we can’t work this out before you take such drastic action that will forever taint your reputation as having been on the wrong side of justice.” 

Because a neutral party had not yet been chosen for the fact-finding process, Mitchell said a strike was not imminent. 

The two unions declared an impasse in August and September after months of negotiations, asking for an increase in pay and changes to class sizes and special education services. 

WCCUSD offered a 0% increase in pay to UTR earlier in negotiations before publicly increasing that to 2% last week. UTR rejected the offer. 

The resolution also allows the district to reassign students to other sites temporarily and gives Cotton or her designee the power to “initiate or defend legal proceedings” if the board cannot meet within 24 hours to first discuss potential actions. 

Gonzalez-Hoy suggested a $400 pay rate and board member Jamela Smith-Folds proposed — and then withdrew — dropping the rate from the $750 first proposed to $650 per day. Members opted for the up to $550 per day rate, which was proposed by clerk Guadalupe Enllana.