Sonoma, CA – Teachers in the Oak Grove Union School District have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, citing the district’s failure to meet their demands for higher salaries. According to the California Teachers Association, 91% of the district’s 46 teachers, who serve students at Oak Grove Elementary School in Sebastopol and Willowside Middle School in Santa Rosa, voted in favor of the measure.
The district, which serves approximately 800 students, now faces the possibility of a strike unless an agreement is reached. The dispute is centered around salary increases, with educators seeking more competitive compensation to reflect the rising cost of living in the region.
The Oak Grove Union School District is the latest in a series of Sonoma County districts to experience labor unrest. Earlier this year, the Wright Educators Association in Santa Rosa and the Guerneville School Teachers Association authorized strike votes after failing to reach new contracts. However, both unions have since reached tentative agreements with their respective districts.
In addition to the strike vote, the Valley of the Moon Teachers Association, also in Sonoma County, has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), accusing their district of engaging in bad-faith bargaining tactics during negotiations.
As tensions rise, the Oak Grove teachers’ vote to strike puts additional pressure on district officials to come to the bargaining table and address the concerns of educators, many of whom have been advocating for fair pay amid the region’s growing financial challenges. The outcome of this dispute could have wide-reaching implications for both educators and the community they serve.