TEACHERS STRIKE APRIL 29
See videos from our April 29 strike: go to YouTube and search for OaklandEA.
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PIctures from OEA Press Conference April 28:
Parent Antonio Gamez and children with Betty Olson-Jones
Bret Harte Teacher Peter Mates (Alameda County Teacher of the Year)
In response to the many inquiries we’ve been receiving from OEA members, here is a statement from OEA on our upcoming strike and our union brothers and sisters in OUSD.
OEA has received strike sanction from the Alameda Central Labor Council for our one-day strike on April 29th. It is OEA’s position that a strike is a strike, and we encourage every union member NOT to cross our picket lines. An injury to one is an injury to all! However, OUSD’s labor agreements with its school worker unions contain “no-strike” clauses which make it illegal for the other OUSD unions to organize their members to engage in secondary ("sympathy") strikes in support of the OEA strike. In other words, despite the Central Labor Council’s strike sanction, the leaders of the other OUSD unions cannot legally tell their members to honor our lines — to do so would be considered organizing a sympathy strike.
However, members of the other unions CAN be reminded by their union leaders that they should not do anything that would endanger their health and safety. Although OEA’s pickets will not forcibly prevent workers from crossing, many workers will no doubt feel high levels of discomfort which can certainly be damaging to one’s health. We are sure the leaders of the other school workers unions are reminding their members of this. The stronger our strike and the larger our picket lines, the more reason there will be for other school workers and other employees to turn back and not cross.
In summary, it is important for us to set our expectations correctly. The other school workers union leaders CANNOT legally call on their members to honor our picket lines. And, unlike OEA members, the members of the other school worker unions cannot strike legally on April 29.
On April 29, encourage other OUSD employees to honor our picket lines. If they have questions, they should call their union representatives/offices.
AFSCME (custodians, food service workers, Aides to the handicapped)
SEIU (clerical workers, school safety officers)
BTC (building and grounds workers)
On Friday, April 16, days after OEA sent a letter requesting to resume bargaining based on the newly-released fact-finding report, the District informed us that they do not intend to return to the table to bargain, and that they want us to accept their last, best, final offer! As you recall, that contained nothing — no compensation, the promise of increased class sizes, no minimum number of Adult Ed employees, etc.This is unacceptable!
As voted at Rep Council on Monday, April 12, the one-day strike set for April 22 was postponed until April 29 to insure that we are "strike legal," allow us time to study the fact-finding report (received April 14), and to go back to the bargaining table in an attempt to reach a fair settlement of our long-standing contract dispute. Remember: the fact-finding report is non-binding and advisory, and any favorable recommendations contained in the report would have to be bargained in order to be part of a tentative agreement. But it appears the District is unwilling to pursue a fair settlement, giving us no choice but to strike.
Download the following reports/letters/flyers and get them to your colleagues:
Letter to be distributed to parents and community members about why we are striking April 29th. Spanish translation; Chinese translation. Vietnamese translations available at OEA.
Strike flyer to distribute to parents and the community highlighting our demands for a fair contract! Spanish translation; Chinese translation.
ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE!!!
