After 10 months of bargaining, the labor union representing many Oakland Unified School District support staff has won a substantial raise — enough that some district personnel will now be earning a living wage for the first time.
In December, the OUSD chapter of Service Employees International Union Local 1021 reached a tentative agreement with the district that gives all members a 16% raise over two years and sets a $25-an-hour minimum wage. The union represents nearly 20% of district staff — about 1,000 workers — whose job titles range from case managers, attendance specialists and early literacy tutors to library technicians and culture and climate keepers (formerly known as security officers).
“This is a fair and dignified contract we can all be proud of, made possible because of the support of our membership and other bargaining units,” Trish Belenson, the SEIU 1021 chapter president, said in a statement. “Standing together allowed us to gain critical improvements in working conditions, plus much-needed raises and a precedent-setting $25 an hour minimum wage. This is a win for our members, students and community.”
The workers Local 1021 represents have long earned some of the lowest salaries in the district, often in roles that are crucial for student success. Prior to the new contract, instructional support specialists, who work with students with disabilities, started at around $27,300 a year and topped out at $36,600 a year, or $22 to $30 an hour. Literacy tutors, who provide reading instruction to kindergarteners and first and second graders, started at the state’s minimum wage, which is currently $17.34 an hour, with pay ranging up to about $20 an hour. Salaries for newcomer learning assistants, who support immigrant students as they learn English, ranged between $34,000 and $46,000 a year.
In Alameda County, a single adult with no children needs to earn at least $29.95 per hour to afford the basics, according to the Living Wage Institute. For a household with two working adults with one child, each adult needs to earn $31.25 an hour to be earning a living wage. For a single parent with one child, a living wage would be nearly $58 per hour.
A history of salary dissatisfaction
Many Local 1021 members have worked in the district for decades and carry important institutional knowledge. At school board meetings over the last year, some have spoken out about how valuable — and undervalued — their work is.
“I greet every child by name at Prescott coming through the gate,” Ardean Mondy, a noon supervisor and instructional support specialist at Prescott Elementary in West Oakland, said at a meeting in September. Mondy has been with OUSD for 45 years. “Some days I want to take off. I don’t, because I know the school will suffer.”
In a 2025 staff retention survey, nearly 60% of OUSD school support staff reported being dissatisfied with their salaries — a higher proportion than teachers, school leaders, and central office staff surveyed.
The contract still has to be approved by the Oakland school board at one of its twice monthly board meetings. That item is not on this week’s agenda. The contract must also be submitted to the Alameda County Office of Education to ensure the district can afford it.
Once the agreement is ratified by the board, Local 1021 members will receive a 14% raise retroactive to July 1, 2025; in July of this year, their salaries will go up another 2%. Beginning in January 2027, if any members earning less than $25 an hour after those raises, their pay rate will be brought up to that amount.
The contract also includes a commitment from OUSD to participate in the state summer assistance program, which enables some employees to earn money during the summer months when they aren’t usually receiving paychecks.
In a separate memorandum of understanding, OUSD agreed to meet with the union on implementation plans if it moves forward on developing any of its properties for affordable or workforce housing.
SEIU Local 1021 is one of six labor unions representing workers in the district. The Oakland Education Association, representing teachers, is currently in negotiations with OUSD and reached an impasse in December. That impasse resulted in a fact finding process, during which an appointed third party hears from both sides and issues a fact-finding report. That report is expected later this month.
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