One Day Longer, One Day Stronger!

After nearly a year of tense negotiations, educators in United Educators of San Francisco walked off the job on February 9, marking the first teacher strike in the city in almost 50 years. The four-day strike brought classrooms across the San Francisco Unified School District to a halt, as teachers, paraeducators, students, and families rallied for fully funded health care, fair wages, improved special education staffing, and stronger protections for vulnerable families. 

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Mr. Hart

Strike Day 2

Picket lines formed outside school sites across the city, with educators emphasizing that the fight extended beyond salary. Rising health care costs, growing workloads, and persistent staffing shortages — particularly in special education — had strained school communities for years. Union leaders argued that without meaningful investment, the district would continue to struggle with retention and recruitment at a time when students’ academic and social-emotional needs remain high.

By the early hours of February 13, after marathon bargaining sessions, union leaders and district officials reached a tentative agreement. While the final deal did not meet all of the union’s original demands, it secured fully funded family health care by 2027, wage increases for both classified and certificated staff, strengthened special education support, continued funding for the Stay-Over Program, and a commitment to sanctuary protections.

The agreement represents a compromise shaped by months of public pressure and late-night negotiations. For many educators, the strike underscored the power of collective action and community solidarity. For the district, it marked a critical step toward stabilizing labor relations and restoring normal operations in classrooms citywide. As schools reopened, attention shifted from the picket lines back to students — and to the long-term challenge of turning contract language into meaningful change in daily school life. 

Contract Wins and Agreement Highlights 

• Fully funded family health care — a major union priority: SFUSD will cover 100% of employer‑paid health premiums for educators and their dependents, with coverage fully implemented by January 2027 and some relief beginning in 2026. Source
• Wage increases over two years: Classified staff (such as paraeducators and aides) will receive approximately an 8.5% raise over two years, while certificated educators (teachers, counselors, social workers) will receive 2% raises each year. Source

  

• Special education supports: The agreement includes revisions to special education workloads and additional targeted increases for special education paraeducators. Source
• Sanctuary and housing-related protections: The contract contains commitments to sanctuary protections and supports related to housing needs for SFUSD students and staff. Source
• Improved working conditions: While not all of the union’s original proposals were adopted, the deal includes negotiated protections and structures aimed at improving conditions in schools. Source
• Strike concluded after four days: The tentative agreement was reached early Friday, February 13, ending the strike that began February 9 — the first educators’ strike in San Francisco in nearly 50 years. Source  

Revised by Camille Ng