\t\t\tMajority of St. Hope teachers support union decertification vote, petition submitted to National Labor Relations Board<\/p>\n
Sacramento, CA (January 14, 2026) \u2013 A majority of educators for charter school operator St. HOPE Public Schools are requesting a vote to end Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA) union officials\u2019 bargaining power over their schools. SCTA is an affiliate of both the California Teachers Association (CTA) and National Education Association (NEA).<\/p>\n
St. HOPE educator Beth Simonton filed a petition backed by the majority of her coworkers late last week, requesting the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hold a union removal vote among St. HOPE teachers. Simonton is receiving free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.<\/p>\n
The NLRB is the agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or \u201ccertify\u201d) and remove (or \u201cdecertify\u201d) unions. The work unit covered by the petition includes over 50 teachers from PS7 Elementary School, PS7 Middle School, and Sacramento Charter High School.<\/p>\n
The SCTA first gained monopoly bargaining power over the charter system in 2018. St. HOPE teachers petitioned for a union decertification vote in 2021, but SCTA union officials were able to manipulate allegations of employer misconduct to scuttle it.<\/p>\n
CTA Union Officials Cause Division in Sacramento Schools and Other CA Schools<\/p>\n
\u201cSCTA union officials have been extremely divisive and have not had a positive impact on teachers, students, or the St. HOPE community as a whole,\u201d commented Simonton. \u201cThey\u2019ve spent much more time trying to demonize school leadership than simply standing up for our interests. I\u2019m proud to represent the majority of educators at St. HOPE who are standing up and saying \u2018enough is enough.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
St. HOPE Public Schools operates public charter schools within the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). In the past, California\u2019s public schools have been subject to state labor boards and regulations. However, the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling in NLRB v. Natural Gas Utility District of Hawkins County strongly suggests that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) covers charter school operators like St. HOPE within its definition of \u201cemployers\u201d subject to the NLRB\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n