Teachers in Richmond have voted to authorize a strike, according to their union and the West Contra Costa Unified School District.  

United Teachers of Richmond had 98.4% approval to authorize a strike to get schools fully staffed, receive what they call fair wages and affordable health care, and “stability for students and families,” according to a social media post Tuesday from the union.  

“While the district holds ‘emergency meetings’ on federal holidays to plan how to pay strikebreakers triple the substitute daily rate, educators are showing up to support our students even as 70-plus vacancies remain unfilled and workloads continue to rise,” the union said. 

The Teamsters Local 856 voted 96% to strike on Friday. The union’s members in the school district work in positions such as clerical, food service, maintenance, and security. 

The WCCUSD released a statement Wednesday about the unions’ announcement, saying that it hopes a strike can be avoided. The board of education approved an emergency resolution authorizing the district to “take steps to keep schools open and students safe in the event of work stoppage,” they said. 

The resolution lists options such as temporarily reassigning students to alternate schools or sites, bringing in temporary staffing such as substitutes, independent contractors or volunteers, and reorganizing personnel and resources. The district said if a strike happens, it will demand the return of district-owned equipment and access devices from teachers and staff, and will bar striking employees from entering a campus or district property without prior written approval.  

“WCCUSD and our Board greatly value our teachers and classified staff for essential work they perform every day for our students,” said Superintendent Cheryl Cotton in a statement released by the district. “Our primary goal is a fair, sustainable agreement that honors our employees and continues student learning. We are committed to keeping our schools open for students and ensuring students are safe when they come to school.”  

According to the district, it has offered teachers and staff an ongoing 2% salary increase and a 5% increase to employees’ medical benefit contributions.  

“In total, the offer exceeds the 2.3% cost of living adjustment (COLA) the district received this year,” the district said.  

The teachers’ union was not immediately available for comment. 

The district serves nearly 24,000 students, and has about 1,500 teachers, as well as about 1,300 staffers represented by the Teamsters. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.