Members of Alameda Education Association (AEA)—the local teachers’ union—have started rallying for better pay from the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD). The essential goal of the action is to gain both an increase in salary and recognition. A state-mandated meeting with the district is set for today, including the union leaders. This is the closest to a strike that Alameda has been in around 20 years.
“Right now, we’re just trying to get the word out so that parents and students are aware of what’s happening, and they understand what’s going on,” Encinal union leader Andrew Richner said.
Reasoning behind the rally
Alameda teachers have reached a point in their contracts where they are negotiating pay. The teachers’ contract with the district expired last year, and negotiations have been ongoing since then. Initially, teachers requested a 9% raise. In response, the district offered a 2.3% raise. Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi, however, received a 6% raise.
“There’s a lot of momentum in the Bay Area for striking because many districts are negotiating contracts with their teachers unions,” Spanish teacher Melissa Mahfouz said. “Essentially, we want fair and equitable pay.”
The raise offered to teachers is lower than the current inflation rate of 2.7%, meaning it does not keep up with the cost of living.
“Just to give you an example, a first-year teacher is paid so little that their medical benefits take up about one-third of their salary,” said Kevin Gorham, an Encinal teacher and athletic director who has worked in AUSD since 1999. “You can’t live in the Bay Area on that type of salary.”
In 2024, teachers received a 7% raise. The large difference between that raise and this year’s proposal has frustrated many Encinal teachers. They cited Alameda’s high cost of living and the fact that many teachers have families to support.
“The family health care plans in Alameda are notoriously stingy,” said Andy Lee, an Encinal teacher with a family. “They don’t provide a whole lot of money. It would not be economically practical for my family to be on the Alameda health care plan.”
Health insurance is another major focus of AEA’s negotiations. The union has asked AUSD to cover 50% of health insurance premiums. Teachers requested $1,500, while the district offered $1,168. Currently, AUSD only provides enough coverage to support one employee, paying $1,021.41 toward premiums.
“It’s really hard to stomach the district offering so little money to the teachers who actually make the schools run,” U.S. history teacher Emily Pabarcus said.
Teachers are also advocating for more district investment in classrooms.
“I think the most important investment we can make in our students is directly in the classroom, not necessarily in higher-level infrastructure,” Richner said.
AEA has also requested more paid preparation time for special education teachers. AUSD has struggled to retain special education teachers and paraprofessionals due to low pay.
“We negotiate for more time for special education teachers because their jobs are overwhelming,” Gorham said.
Process of going on strike
AEA is currently picketing to draw attention to the negotiations. While the possibility of a strike exists, the process is long and complex.
“It seems the sides are extremely far apart,” Gorham said. “We’re still a ways away from a strike, but the potential is definitely there.”
Union leaders will attend a district meeting Thursday that could determine whether tensions de-escalate before a strike occurs.
AEA is currently at an impasse, or deadlock, in negotiations with AUSD. Today’s meeting is an attempt to bring both sides together.
If no agreement is reached, a mediator will step in to negotiate conditions and terms. If mediation fails, the process will move into “fact-finding.”
“Fact-finding is when the state labor relations board sends someone to determine what the facts are,” Richner said. “Then the district gives us its final offer, and we decide whether that’s acceptable.”
The fact-finder will investigate both AUSD and AEA before the district presents its final offer. If the union rejects the offer, AEA may move forward with a strike.
“The goal is to advocate for an increase in our salary so we can maintain high-quality teachers here,” Mahfouz said.
During a strike, unionized teachers would not work or come to school and would not receive pay. How this would affect Encinal remains unclear. The district could temporarily replace teachers with substitutes or cancel school during the strike period.
“A really important factor is whether the community is supportive of teachers during the process,” Richner said. “Especially at the elementary level, it’s important that parents understand our perspective because we don’t want to inconvenience the community or cast a poor light on ourselves.”
Impact on the Encinal community
While a strike does not appear imminent, the possibility has created uncertainty within the school community.
Many Encinal teachers said they hope to reach an agreement with AUSD before a strike occurs so they can continue supporting students and avoid disrupting the community.
“We want families and students to be more aware of what we’re advocating for so they can get involved and so we can be more informed as a community,” Mahfouz said.
District officials have also expressed hope for a resolution. Scuderi told the Alameda Post, “These things get tense, but we are genuinely committed to trying to make this work.”
AEA has also asked AUSD to avoid overfilling middle and high school classes, requesting class sizes remain below 33 students. Recent enrollment increases at Encinal have made this a growing concern for teachers and parents. The current class size limit is 35, but teachers are paid extra for classes that regularly exceed the limit.
“It’s just a mess for the entire district, for kids and for teachers,” said Pabarcus, who is both a teacher and a parent at Encinal. “I would do anything I can to avoid a strike, but if I had to go on strike, I would.”
Despite rising tensions, the likelihood of a strike remains low. Both AUSD and AEA have expressed interest in reaching an agreement, and the lengthy negotiation process increases the chance of a compromise.
“The idea of rallying is to encourage the community to contact the district and show support for teacher raises,” Pabarcus said. “Ultimately, we want teachers to stay in classrooms with students and not have to strike to gain leverage.”
The Echo is committed to keeping the Encinal community informed as negotiations continue. Staying informed helps keep communities — and schools — strong.
