Mount Diablo teachers move closer to strike One of the largest school districts in the state is now one step closer to a strike by its teachers.
92% of the members of the Mount Diablo Education Association authorized their executive board to ultimately decide in less than two weeks, whether teachers should walk out of their classrooms.
A walkout would affect some 29 thousand K-12 students across the district in Contra Costa County. At the center of the ongoing impasse, teacher and staff salaries.The union says the salaries have not kept up with inflation and they're asking for a 12.5 percent increase over six years. The Mount Diablo Unified School District has countered with a 10 percent salary increase over 3 years, with a one time 3 percent bonus for the current school year.
The district noted that it recently successfully negotiated a new agreement with its Mount Diablo Psychologists Association. But they say, they simply can’t afford a 12.5 percent raise for teachers, arguing it would force them to cut tens of millions of dollars from other areas of the budget. Still, district superintendent Adam Clark made is it clear Wednesday, his negotiating team would be participating in a fact finding hearing with the teachers on Friday, adding.