AFTER SCHOOL: Strike is Over — For Now

The bargaining team of the United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) notified workers that a pending contract had been secured early Friday morning. Workers we spoke with have generally been positive. Still, sentiments could shift. It's always possible that workers will decide not to back the deal. Stranger things have happened.

Ideally, workers will have to balance a few things at once when considering whether to accept a tentative agreement: on one side are, of course, the concessions they won from the employer; on the other side is the question of whether they're sufficiently organized to continue. Sometimes workers feel they didn't get a good enough deal but vote for the contract anyway, disbelieving they're organizationally ready to continue the fight.

But there's always a lot of pressure put on workers to accept a contract. Union staff and leadership are often tired and predisposed to push members to vote 'yes.' Liberals and conservatives alike will welcome the end of the stoppage and apply political and social pressure on workers to accept and move on. Media outlets — often funded by billionaire interests these days — will celebrate the end and vilify those who agitate against the contract.

As for us at Bay Area Current, we believe that the desire to continue the fight is the right of all workers. Decisions like this are among the most fundamental principles of democracy. Should they choose to continue the fight, we'll continue to identify the lies cast at the workers. We will, in other words, name the haters and losers. Often, these are the same people who have destroyed so much of what we love about the Bay. It's no accident that an action like this — public education workers fighting for themselves and their community — clarifies which side everyone is on.

END OF STRIKE UPDATES ☻

• Strike is over, for now: Workers celebrated the tentative agreement, and thus the end of the strike, across San Francisco. A celebration was called, and many workers and students filled Dolores Park on Friday afternoon.
• Workers take the day off: SFUSD has tried to call workers back to work immediately on Friday, but many educators appeared to take the day off. It was not a mandatory work day, after all.
• Questions loom regarding what comes next: We spoke with workers on Friday about what the end of the strike could mean for them. What we learned was this: even if the contract is accepted by the rank and file, the fight will not be over, as its implications will spark a new phase of shop-floor battles pitting educators against management.
• The long weekend: Education workers will enjoy a long weekend, with two holidays placed on Monday and Tuesday of next week. In other words, educators will not return to work in full until Wed, Feb 18.

END OF STRIKE FAQ

• What is a "Tentative Agreement" (TA): When workers go on strike, a bargaining committee composed of union workers is formed to discuss their demands amid the walkout. The bargaining committee's objective is to secure the employer's (aka SFUSD) agreement to a contract acceptable to rank-and-file union members. Once the bargaining committee secures a contract, it's never final, but tentative, pending a vote (typically a majority) among the union's membership.
• What happens after the TA is secured? Now that strikers have a TA, the union has announced it will host town halls for members to review and learn about the agreement. The point is to educate members on the TA, so that they can make an informed decision. A vote will be organized soon after. Sometimes this process can be intense, with some workers organizing for a 'no' vote — debates can become commonplace, particularly if aspects of the contract are out of sync with the demands that started the strike.
• What happens if a majority of workers vote 'no' on the TA? This often means a strike is back on the table. Sometimes workers return to striking ASAP, but it's technically possible that negotiations can proceed without a continuation of the strike.