“Give Union Members a Fair Contract, or they will take action.” UTR President, John Zabala, said  this at the most recent WCCUSD School Board meeting. Union members at the meeting said that the offer was not enough to make teachers stay in the district. 

Several teachers spoke about how understaffing affects the district’s ability to give students the support they needed. A teacher at Verde Elementary Elementary School said,  ”Last year, I had a student with a profound speech  impediment that was impeding his ability to sound words out and advance in reading. He went two-thirds of the year with no speech therapist.” A Shannon Elementary School teacher,  said his class has a combination of fourth and fifth graders, “What will happen to my students next year?”

In a letter to members,  District Declares Impasse!  Zabala wrote:  “Our district has received more … state funding than it has ever received …. Yet our management determined to deny our students and… us those very dollars…. This current school year (2022-23), the district received an effective  statuary COLA of 13.26%. Projections from today’s report indicate a statutory COLA at least 8.38% for next year ((2023-24). This combined increase to permanent funds is a total of 21.64% over this and next year. UTR has proposed a salary increase of 10% this year and 7% next year and an amount equal to the percentage of ongoing state funding for WCCUSD in the 2024-2025 school year. WCCUSD has proposed no raise for the third year of the new union contract….”

The facts are clear, the district can afford our proposals to create a district that will attract and retain permanent, certificated educators for every student in West Contra Costa. This point is especially salient  … over 3000 students started the school year without a permanent certificated teacher. 

UTR must step up its struggle like teachers did in Haverhill and Malden, Massachusetts, two cities  north of Boston, among the state’s poorer cities, that have been  underfunding their schools for decades. Teachers’ salaries in Haverhill are $10,000 less than the Massachusetts average. In the spring, when Haverhill received funds  designated for schools and educators from the American Rescue Plan, Haverhill’s mayor took the funds for the city  and cut $600,000 from the school budget. Over the last 20 years Haverhill Education members have accepted seven years of 0% wage increases. This time , they said, “No more”.

The Haverhill Educators Association (HEA) and the Malden Educators, both locals of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA),NEA, voted in October go on an illegal strike.  After four days out, Haverhill teachers won  a three-year agreement that raises salaries 3% to 4% each year;  Malden strikers  settled in one day and won a $7,000 raise in base pay for paraprofessionals and 12 weeks of parental leave for all members.

 Malden settled  without the district imposing fines. Haverhill had to pay district and court fines of $360,000. The court fined the MTA $100,000 for refusing an order to disavow the strike. HEA Vice President , Barry Davis, said,” at some point, you have to choose between what is right and doing what is legal. We chose what is right.”

The two unions built their courage through an informal coalition of unions and community members in  cities and towns in the Merrick Valley .

 What is to be done?

UTR must:

• Build coalitions with unions and communities in the five cities of WCCUSD as well as other AlCosta CTA locals.

• Use progressive media (KPFA, Richmond Pulse , etc) to expose the fact that  the  district has money  to  pay and retain teachers which  also meets students’ needs.

• Take it to the streets: leaflet or use bull horns at malls and intersections  to inform communities that the district’s contract offer affects their schools. After all, teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.

• Organize for a strike.

Margaret Browne

    WCCUSD Retired

    Former UTR Executive Board Member and State  

Council Representative

    ALCosta Minority at Large State Council Member

    CTA and NEA Retired Life Member