Talks to end teachers strike to resume after respite

Negotiations among Oakland school district officials and teachers union leaders took a brief respite Saturday before they plan to return to the bargaining table Sunday.

Talks ended with no resolution around 7 p.m. Friday after the second day Oakland teachers, counselors and nurses picketed and marched, demanding higher pay and hiring of more counselors and nurses.

Negotiation “went as late as it did, so we were certainly encouraged to see that,” said John Sasaki, a spokesman for the Oakland Unified School District. “Even if it hadn’t gone late, I think there is always hope. We’re a very optimistic school district.”

Keith Brown, the president of the Oakland Education Association, told The Chronicle there was “little movement” in Friday night’s bargaining session, stating the district’s counterproposal for potential teacher raises is still significantly low. Teachers are demanding a 12 percent raise.

“We did not see anything coming out of that session that addresses the teacher retention crisis in Oakland or anything that will bring the true, needed reinvestments to improve student education outcomes,” Brown said.

He said union leaders will return to the bargaining table Sunday morning.

“We have a lot of momentum with parent and community support,” Brown said. “The voices of the community are being heard loud and clear.”

District officials are “eager” to meet with union leaders over the weekend, Sasaki said. The district’s Board of Education is on “standby ready to assist at a moment’s notice,” he said.

Brown shared a video message to supporters Friday night on Twitter.

“This has been a powerful week for the Oakland Education Association and the Oakland teachers strike,” he said, standing outside a hotel where he said the union’s bargaining team met with district officials. “This fight is for a living wage to keep teachers in Oakland. We are fighting for smaller class size and also for more student support.”

He described the lively picket lines at Brookfield Village Elementary School, where teachers and students danced together, and the joy and resilience among teachers, students and community supporters throughout the city.

Brown said in the social media video that he and other union leaders would take Saturday off to spend time with friends and family before returning to the picket lines Monday.

“We are united, we are strong, and we will win,” he said.