RICHMOND — Stuck in contentious negotiations over new contracts, two West Contra Costa Unified School District unions have overwhelmingly voted in favor of striking if district leadership cannot adequately meet their demands.

More than 95% of members represented by the United Teachers of Richmond and Teamsters Local 856 separately voted recently to authorize strikes. That means about 3,000 district employees, from teachers and education specialists to maintenance and food service workers, could walk off the job if deals aren’t struck in the coming months.

“Our district needs to prioritize stability for our students, now,” United Teachers of Richmond President Francisco Ortiz said in a press release announcing the vote. “We are committed to do whatever it takes to win the fully staffed classrooms our students so desperately need.”

Contracts for both unions expired June 30 after negotiations on new contracts began in early 2025. Similar sticking points have led to impasses in the separate negotiation processes, now requiring a third party to assist with mediation and fact-finding. Once that process concludes and a final report is issued, the unions can officially legally strike.

Both unions are seeking better pay for their members, better staffing levels and other improved working conditions. The requests come at a fiscally unstable time for the district, which has had to make tens of millions of dollars worth of cuts in recent years to maintain local control. But union members have argued the district could afford to meet union demands in part by adjusting the amount spent on contracted services.

“Teamsters are the backbone of the West Contra Costa Unified School District and should be treated as such,” said Peter Finn, secretary-treasurer of Local 856, in a statement. “Workers know the essential services they provide to students and their families throughout the region and won’t settle for less than they deserve. Striking is always a last resort, but the school district has left us little to no choice.”

Representatives with the district office and Board of Trustees President Leslie Reckler did not respond to requests for comment as of press time Friday. But district leadership have taken clear steps in preparation for potential strikes.

During a special meeting Monday, trustees voted 4-1 to pay substitute teachers $550 per day if staff strike and to allow the superintendent to take legal action to stop the strike if the board is unable to meet within 24 hours to vote in favor of that action itself.

Superintendent Cheryl Cotton, who asked that pay be set at $750, said the increased rates were necessary to protect the constitutional rights of students to access a safe and educational environment by enticing people to cross the picket line.

“We are working to avoid a strike as best as we can, but in the event of a strike, this is action that the board would need to consider,” Cotton said. “These are paying for people who are going to have to cross the picket line, that are going to be yelled at, be insulted. It’s, I wouldn’t say hazard pay, but it is a challenging situation.”

Substitute teachers are currently being offered about $280 a day, Cotton said. Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy, the lone vote against the measure, warned that tripling the daily substitute teacher rate could be seen as a union busting tactic that would also encourage staff to strike longer.

“My per diem as a teacher was $290. If I was making that today and I saw you were paying subs $750, I would be on the strike line as long as it took for the district to pay me what I need. It’s going to be an insult for a lot of them,” said Hoy, who instead proposed raising the rate to $400 in case of a strike.

Offering increased pay to substitute teachers during a strike is routine practice, Cotton said, noting the Oakland Unified School District offered $700 to substitute teachers when its teachers union went on strike last year. Regardless of what steps district leadership takes, Cotton said the unions will likely see those measures as “something that is not in favor of their goals.”

While caring for staff needs is important, Trustee Jamela Smith-Folds also argued the board’s first priority is the students.

But members of both unions argue their causes – aimed at attracting and maintaining quality staff through competitive pay and manageable workloads – are about creating the best environment possible for students.

“Instead of offering astronomical substitute rates, or spending on expensive outside contractors, our district should be prioritizing our students and classrooms,” Ortiz said. “We don’t want to strike, but West Contra Costa teachers are making it clear that we are more than willing to do everything we can for our community.”