Two unions reached an agreement with the San Francisco Unified School District this week, evading a mass strike that could have shuttered classes before winter break.
SEIU 1021 — the union representing custodians, secretaries, and food and health workers — reached an agreement with SFUSD on Tuesday, and United Educators of San Francisco — the teachers union — reached a tentative agreement early Friday morning. Both included what union leadership called “historic raises.”
According to the tentative agreement with UESF, certificated educators will receive a permanent raise of $9,000 within the first year, and a 5% salary increase the second year.
Classified educators, including paraeducators, will receive a minimum salary of $30 per hour or an 8% wage increase, whichever is higher, and will also see a 5% wage increase the second year. Substitute teachers would see a 15% raise over two years.
UESF said that additional gains included improved working conditions and support for special education.
SEIU members will receive a 16% raise, which includes retroactive pay of 6% back to July 1, 2022, and an additional 10% retroactive pay for this summer.
The district will also provide a one-time stipend of $1,500 per SEIU member. Salaries for the 2024-25 academic year and beyond will be up to future negotiations, district officials said.
For SEIU members, the move would bring them closer to pay parity with their counterparts. Clerks, custodians, and other service workers employed by The City make up to 20% more, which became a rallying cry among SFUSD’s service workers.
The contract is a big win for the district’s lowest-paid workers, who have been without a contract for three years and have not seen a raise since 2020.
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Union leadership praised the salary and wage increases, with SEIU calling its deal “the strongest agreement SFUSD classified workers have seen.”
“This historic raise ensures our (union members) are on a path to a brighter future thanks to fair wages, job protection, and language to protect us from being exploited or abused on the job,” SEIU Vice President Antonaé Robertson said.
The service-workers union highlighted staffing shortages throughout bargaining sessions, citing low pay as a reason for vacancies and high turnover. Robertson, also a secretary at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, said this new contract will “pave the way for a better tomorrow at SFUSD.”
UESF President Cassondra Curiel also called the agreement a “historic win” for San Francisco educators and students. Throughout its bargaining process, which began in March, the teachers’ union pointed to low pay and wages as reasons for teacher burnout, turnover and attrition.
This agreement will help stabilize San Francisco’s public schools, Curiel said.
In a statement, Superintendent Matt Wayne said that the district is thrilled to provide its labor partners with “well-deserved raises.”
“This increase in compensation reflects our commitment to valuing and supporting our educators, and retracting and retaining talented professionals,” he said.
Union members still need to vote to ratify the tentative agreement for it to go into effect.
