{"id":172571,"date":"2026-02-10T23:26:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/172571\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T23:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:26:19","slug":"progress-but-sticking-points-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/172571\/","title":{"rendered":"Progress, but sticking points remain"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a long Monday<\/a> of negotiations \u2014 members of the teachers bargaining team had packed tooth brushes and sleeping bags, preparing for overnight sessions \u2014\u00a0the San Francisco educators union and the district were back at the table as of early Tuesday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bedding and toiletries, it turned out, were unnecessary. The two sides negotiated for about nine hours on Monday from noon to roughly 9 p.m. before meeting again this morning amid a teachers strike entering its second day.<\/p>\n

Last night, the two parties came to an agreement on the district\u2019s artificial intelligence policy, and the district said it would strengthen its Stay Over Program, which provides emergency shelter inside school buildings for students and families experiencing homelessness.\u00a0They had earlier come to an agreement on protections for undocumented students.<\/p>\n

But three sticking points remain<\/a>, and they\u2019re the big ones: wages, family health care, and the workload and staffing of special education programs.<\/p>\n

The district presented one counteroffer on pay for \u201cclassified\u201d employees, offering a 10 percent wage increase for paraeducators, clerical workers, technicians and other non-credentialed staff over two years. <\/p>\n

The district did not yet present a counteroffer on wages for teachers \u2014 its prior offer on Saturday, a 6 percent increase (3 percent over two years), was rejected by the union. Two days prior, the district had offered a 2 percent increase over the course of three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To the frustration of union members, last night the district also did not present a counteroffer on healthcare. The district previously offered partially funded family healthcare, proffering a benefits allowance of $24,000 per employee. <\/p>\n

But late Monday night, the district\u2019s bargaining team announced that the mayor\u2019s health and human services department, led by policy chief Kunal Modi, would be stepping in to support the district in waging a counteroffer. Modi was seen walking around the War Memorial Building on Tuesday morning, where negotiations are taking place.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Members of the bargaining team were both surprised and disappointed that queries about dependent healthcare were deflected to Modi and his team to assess their costs. Negotiations between the district and the union commenced in March 2025, and this last-minute cost-check struck the teachers as akin to a student struggling to complete a major homework assignment in the hallway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Tuesday afternoon, the union said the district offered to cover 80 percent of family healthcare costs, but that they were still seeking full coverage.<\/p>\n

The union and the district will continue bargaining throughout the day. When schools will open is yet to be determined.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Marina Newman and Joe Eskenazi<\/p>\n

\"ANathalie Hrizi, right, the UESF Vice President of Substitutes, delivers remarks to a large crowd of San Francisco educators on strike at Mission Dolores Park on Tuesday. Photo by Mariana Garcia.<\/p>\n

Teachers, supervisors brave (light) rain for rally at Dolores Park<\/p>\n

Over 1,000 educators and their supporters huddled under umbrellas and handed out plastic ponchos at Dolores Park at noon on Tuesday. It was the second mass rally of the teacher\u2019s strike, after many thousands came to San Francisco City Hall the day before.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the sky opening up and telling us that money is coming,\u201d exclaimed Michelle Cody, a United Educators of San Francisco member, into a megaphone to cheers from the crowd. \u201cRain or shine we will be out here!\u201d<\/p>\n

The two sides did not come to an agreement on Monday night, but the union was still celebrating. \u201cAfter 11 months of stonewalling, ignoring us, and rejection we finally had a productive day with the district last night,\u201d said Cody. \u201cBut they are still not ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AMichelle Cody, right, a regional strike captain and teacher at Bessie Carmichael, delivers remarks during the teachers\u2019 rally at Mission Dolores Park on Tuesday. Photo by Mariana Garcia. <\/p>\n

Cody said the district offered to cover 80 percent of educators\u2019 family health insurance plan this afternoon \u2014 a five percent increase from past negotiations. The offer has yet to be announced by the district.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will hold the line until it is 100 percent,\u201d bellowed Cody, to applause from crowd.<\/p>\n

Supervisors Connie Chan and Shamann Walton stood among the crowd, posing for pictures and cheering along.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeachers need better pay, and they need healthcare,\u201d said Walton. \u201cThe district needs to come to an agreement \u2014 families will not be able to sustain this much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 1 p.m., the crowd marched to Civic Center, where negotiations were underway.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Marina Newman<\/p>\n

\"AAround 1,000 educators rally at Mission Dolores Park on Tuesday during the first teachers strike in San Francisco in 47 years. Photo by Mariana Garcia.<\/p>\n

\"AEducators from George Washington Carver and Leola Havard schools in Bayview on Tuesday \u2014 day two of the teachers strike. Photo by Sophia Rerucha.<\/p>\n

Bayview teachers walk out, shouting \u2018We are the union!\u2019<\/p>\n

Teachers and paraeducators from George Washington Carver Elementary School and Leola M. Havard Early Education School in Bayview gathered on the corner of Oakdale Avenue and Third Street on Tuesday morning. They held yellow, red, and black signs reading \u201cStudents need fully staffed, stable schools\u201d and chanted \u201cU-E-S-F!\u201d and \u201cWe are the union, the mighty mighty union!\u201d<\/p>\n

Cars, trucks and cargo trains honked horns in support. Passengers waved or threw their fists up. A UPS driver \u2014 UPS is a unionized workforce represented by the Teamsters \u2014 joined in on the chants.<\/p>\n

Children at the Joseph Lee Recreation Center across the street scaled the jungle gym and chanted alongside their teachers.<\/p>\n

A paraeducator, who preferred to remain anonymous, said it feels like the district was prolonging bargaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to get validation from the community,\u201d they said, waving at people honking their horns. \u201cBut they treat us like we\u2019re invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adiela Martinez, also a paraeducator, said the strike was tough, but necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is sad, but you know you have to do it,\u201d she said of the walkout. \u201cI love when the kids say, \u2018Thank you, Ms. Martinez.\u2019 You put a little bit of happiness into their day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sophia Rerucha<\/p>\n

\"AThe SFUSD teachers strike continues into a second day and a crowd forms outside of Marshall Elementary School in the Mission on Tuesday. Photo by B\u00e9atrice Valli\u00e8res.<\/p>\n

Marshall Elementary in the Mission<\/p>\n

At Marshall Elementary at 15th and Capp streets, the energy was high. About 20 educators and parents walked the picket line, feeling wind in their sails.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think because we had an enormous rally yesterday, I\u2019m feeling more optimistic, more energized and more ready to help fight this fight for a fair contract,\u201d said Judy Viertel, school librarian at Marshall Elementary. Thousands of educators and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco City Hall on Monday afternoon, streaming in from schools across the city.<\/p>\n

Viertel felt negotiations with the school district have been \u201cfrustratingly slow.\u201d The two sides have come to an agreement on non-economic issues, like sanctuary school policies and housing for homeless students, but not on wages, healthcare, or special education.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hopeful that today we can move forward towards finding an agreement,\u201d she said, adding that the union will strike for \u201cas long as it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 B\u00e9atrice Valli\u00e8res<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a long Monday of negotiations \u2014 members of the teachers bargaining team had packed tooth brushes and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":172572,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-172571","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-san-francisco","9":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","10":"tag-san-francisco-news","11":"tag-sf","12":"tag-sf-headlines","13":"tag-sf-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172571\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}