On Saturday, September 30, about 200 SEIU 1021 members from San Francisco Unified School District showed up to cast their votes to authorize a potential strike as the district continues to fall short in negotiations.

Union members wore purple in solidarity, chanted, voted, participated in an informative strike school to better understand their rights as workers, asked questions, and enjoyed lunch together.

The bargaining team has shown abundant patience during a frustrating year of negotiations with the district. However, despite their persistence, the union and district are still far apart on several major issues.

Currently, SFUSD classified employees make roughly 16% less than their counterparts employed by the City. Problems such as understaffing and burnout plague the district. A revolving door of workers leaving to work for the City, where they can do the same job for much higher wages, leaves more work and stress for those who remain on the job. They are committed to keeping schools safe, clean, and running smoothly for San Francisco students, but their frustration at a district that has proven itself unable even to issue correct paychecks for nearly two years and that continues to commit unfair labor practices in negotiations has pushed them to take more drastic action.

After four years without a raise and facing a district that seems to feel no urgency about settling a fair contract that will improve their working conditions and students’ learning conditions, they are ready to show the district they mean business.

As SFUSD Chapter President Rafael Picazo said in his Saturday morning speech to fellow members, “One job should be enough for all of us. But a lot of us are working two to three jobs just to survive in the San Francisco Bay Area. I say, no más. Enough is enough. Let’s show this district who really runs this school district. We are the backbone of this district.”

If a majority of voting members say “yes” to authorize a strike, the bargaining team will move forward to determine when and if the conditions are right to strike. With teachers and building trades announcing their support, this would be a historic and galvanizing move for classified workers. 

Members who could not attend on Saturday had a second opportunity to vote today, Tuesday, October 3. The final vote will be tallied following the completion of the voting, and the bargaining team will then take action based on the outcome.