Oakland Unified letter warns union about planned one-day strike

Oakland Unified has warned its teachers union not to walk out of classes for a planned one-day strike this Friday, saying the walkout would have a harmful financial impact on the district and is a violation of the current contract, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The teachers union voted last week to stage a strike in protest of the district’s plan to close or merge 11 schools over the next two years in an effort to reduce a $90 million budget shortfall. The union says that the district didn’t gather enough input from the community, families and other stakeholders before deciding to close and merge the schools, and that the closures would have a disproportionate impact on Black and Latino students.

“To be clear, any strike, other withholding of unit member services, or other concerted activity that disrupts the education of District students would be unlawful and an unfair labor practice, a violation of the current collective bargaining agreement between the District and (Oakland Education Association), and a violation of the (Educational Employment Relations Act),” Joshua Daniels, the district’s chief governance officer, wrote to the union, according to the newspaper.

Union President Keith Brown said the planned strike is legal.

“It is the district that is doing illegal moves by closing schools in Black and brown neighborhoods without engaging stakeholders,” Brown told the newspaper.