SAN FRANCISCO — The spirits of the nearly 6,000 teachers here are high as they return to their classrooms following a four-day strike. The agreement they won includes wage increases as well as fully funded family medical coverage. Starting in January 2027, all members of the union will have 100% of their health care premiums paid by the school district. They also won lower costs by 50% for medical coverage starting this July.
At a large strike rally Feb. 10 organized by the union, United Educators of San Francisco, teachers told the Militant that winning medical care for dependents was their key demand. Some said they had been paying as much as $1,500 a month to have their families covered.
Negotiators for the school district argued that teachers’ pensions should be cut in exchange for increased medical benefits. The teachers said no and kept pressing, winning support for their fight by mobilizing rallies attended by thousands of teachers, students and others. This went hand in hand with daily picketing at schools across the city.
This was the first strike by members of the union since 1979. Janitors, cafeteria and other school workers, members of Service Employees International Union Local 1021, walked out in a sympathy strike and joined the rallies. On Feb. 11, teachers mobilized at the beach, using their bodies to spell out “Strike for our students.”
The union didn’t win all their demands. Teachers got a 5% wage increase over two years, not the 9% they asked for. But the lower-paid members of the union, paraeducators who assist teachers and students in the classrooms, got a bigger wage boost of 8.5%.
The agreement still has to be voted on by both union members and the school board. School district officials say they are facing a $100 million budget shortfall and will have to consider school shutdowns or other cuts in the future to close the gap. So, the fight will continue.