San Francisco Teachers Strike: On Monday, about 6,000 government school teachers took to the streets in San Francisco, California state of America and went on strike for their demands. The strike demanded higher salaries, better health benefits and adequate resources for students with special needs. This is the first such strike in 50 years.

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has closed all 120 of its public schools and said it will move some of its 50,000 students to independent study. There is a lot of anger among students as well as teachers regarding this decision of SFUSD.

First strike in 50 years

Cassandra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, said, “We will continue to hold out until we get schools that work for our students and a contract that works for our members.” The strike began after the last talks held over the weekend failed, in which no new agreement could be reached.

Mayor Daniel Lurie and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi urged both sides to continue negotiations without closing schools. The union also held a press conference and a rally at City Hall on Monday. The talks were scheduled to resume at noon the same day.

What are the demands of the teachers?

The union and the district have been negotiating for nearly a year. The main demands of the teachers are:

• Fully Funded Family Health Care


• increase in salary


• Filling voids in special education and services


• Support policies for homeless and immigrant students and their families

The union is seeking a 9% salary increase over two years, which would impact the district by an additional $92 million annually. He says this money can be provided from reserve funds, which can be applied directly to classrooms and school sites. SFUSD currently has a deficit of $100 million and has been facing a long-term financial crisis. The district rejected the idea and proposed a 6% salary increase over three years.

Bonus and Health Benefits

SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su said the proposal includes bonuses for all employees. The neutral fact-finding panel report also suggested a 6% hike in two years.