Last night, San Francisco teachers gathered at Balboa High School to vote on whether or not to approve a strike.
Ninety-nine percent voted yes.
This does not mean that a strike will happen. It’s the first of two votes required before the union can call for one. The union also has to wait for a fact-finding panel to release a recommendation report. But the vote is a sign of escalating pressure in negotiations that have been ongoing for months.
Teachers are asking for a nine percent raise over two years for certificated positions and a 14 percent raise over two years for classified roles. They also want the district to provide better support for special education and pay for dependents healthcare.
"We've just been hitting a brick wall with district management," says Nathalie Hrizi, Vice President of Substitutes for the union.
This vote came the night before teachers in the East Bay started their strike. WCCUSD is paying $550 for teachers who are willing to cross the picket line. But Hrizi is encouraging teachers in the city not to sign up.
"We're actively resisting the call to go and scab for other educator unions and undermine their strikes," she says.
"We all have an immediate need. We're living check to check," she says. "But in the long run, it actually positively helps us to all be together."
Hrizi says if the union can’t reach an agreement with SFUSD, she anticipates a second vote in January to authorize a strike.
