San Francisco teachers are back on the picket line Tuesday for Day 2 of the city's first educators strike in almost 50 years.
From left to right: Lorraine Bowser, Hazel Miranda, Helene Donelson and Efren Teope rally at Mission Dolores Park on Feb. 10, 2026. Photo by Mariana Garcia.of negotiations — members of the teachers bargaining team had packed tooth brushes and sleeping bags, preparing for overnight sessions — the San Francisco educators union and the district were back at the table as of early Tuesday morning.
The bedding and toiletries, it turned out, were unnecessary. The two sides negotiated for about nine hours on Monday from noon to roughly 9 p.m. before meeting again this morning amid a teachers strike entering its second day. Last night, the two parties came to an agreement on the district’s artificial intelligence policy, and the district said it would strengthen its Stay Over Program, which provides emergency shelter inside school buildings for students and families experiencing homelessness. They had earlier come to an agreement on protections for undocumented students.The district presented one counteroffer on pay for “classified” employees, offering a 10 percent wage increase for paraeducators, clerical workers, technicians and other non-credentialed staff over two years. The district did not yet present a counteroffer on wages for teachers — its prior offer on Saturday, a 6 percent increase , was rejected by the union. Two days prior, the district had offered a 2 percent increase over the course of three years. To the frustration of union members, last night the district also did not present a counteroffer on healthcare. The district previously offered partially funded family healthcare, proffering a benefits allowance of $24,000 per employee. But late Monday night, the district’s bargaining team announced that the mayor’s health and human services department, led by policy chief Kunal Modi, would be stepping in to support the district in waging a counteroffer. Modi was seen walking around the War Memorial Building on Tuesday morning, where negotiations are taking place. Members of the bargaining team were both surprised and disappointed that queries about dependent healthcare were deflected to Modi and his team to assess their costs. Negotiations between the district and the union commenced in March 2025, and this last-minute cost-check struck the teachers as akin to a student struggling to complete a major homework assignment in the hallway. On Tuesday afternoon, the union said the district offered to cover 80 percent of family healthcare costs, but that they were still seeking full coverage. The union and the district will continue bargaining throughout the day. When schools will open is yet to be determined.Nathalie Hrizi, right, the UESF Vice President of Substitutes, delivers remarks to a large crowd of San Francisco educators on strike at Mission Dolores Park on Tuesday. Photo by Mariana Garcia.Over 1,000 educators and their supporters huddled under umbrellas and handed out plastic ponchos at Dolores Park at noon on Tuesday. It was the second mass rally of the teacher’s strike, after many thousands came to San Francisco City Hall the day before. “This is the sky opening up and telling us that money is coming,” exclaimed Michelle Cody, a United Educators of San Francisco member, into a megaphone to cheers from the crowd. “Rain or shine we will be out here!” The two sides did not come to an agreement on Monday night, but the union was still celebrating. “After 11 months of stonewalling, ignoring us, and rejection we finally had a productive day with the district last night,” said Cody. “But they are still not ready.” Michelle Cody, right, a regional strike captain and teacher at Bessie Carmichael, delivers remarks during the teachers’ rally at Mission Dolores Park on Tuesday. Photo by Mariana Garcia. Cody said the district offered to cover 80 percent of educators’ family health insurance plan this afternoon — a five percent increase from past negotiations. The offer has yet to be announced by the district.Supervisors Connie Chan and Shamann Walton stood among the crowd, posing for pictures and cheering along. “Teachers need better pay, and they need healthcare,” said Walton. “The district needs to come to an agreement — families will not be able to sustain this much longer.”Around 1,000 educators rally at Mission Dolores Park on Tuesday during the first teachers strike in San Francisco in 47 years. Photo by Mariana Garcia. Educators from George Washington Carver and Leola Havard schools in Bayview on Tuesday — day two of the teachers strike. Photo by Sophia Rerucha.Teachers and paraeducators from George Washington Carver Elementary School and Leola M. Havard Early Education School in Bayview gathered on the corner of Oakdale Avenue and Third Street on Tuesday morning. They held yellow, red, and black signs reading “Students need fully staffed, stable schools” and chanted “U-E-S-F!” and “We are the union, the mighty mighty union!” Cars, trucks and cargo trains honked horns in support. Passengers waved or threw their fists up. A UPS driver — UPS is a unionized workforce represented by the Teamsters — joined in on the chants. Children at the Joseph Lee Recreation Center across the street scaled the jungle gym and chanted alongside their teachers. A paraeducator, who preferred to remain anonymous, said it feels like the district was prolonging bargaining. “It’s nice to get validation from the community,” they said, waving at people honking their horns. “But they treat us like we’re invaluable.”“It is sad, but you know you have to do it,” she said of the walkout. “I love when the kids say, ‘Thank you, Ms. Martinez.’ You put a little bit of happiness into their day.”The SFUSD teachers strike continues into a second day and a crowd forms outside of Marshall Elementary School in the Mission on Tuesday. Photo by Béatrice Vallières.At Marshall Elementary at 15th and Capp streets, the energy was high. About 20 educators and parents walked the picket line, feeling wind in their sails. “I think because we had an enormous rally yesterday, I’m feeling more optimistic, more energized and more ready to help fight this fight for a fair contract,” said Judy Viertel, school librarian at Marshall Elementary. Thousands of educators and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco City Hall on Monday afternoon, streaming in from schools across the city. Viertel felt negotiations with the school district have been “frustratingly slow.” The two sides have come to an agreement on non-economic issues, like sanctuary school policies and housing for homeless students, but not on wages, healthcare, or special education. “I’m hopeful that today we can move forward towards finding an agreement,” she said, adding that the union will strike for “as long as it takes.”Because of you, Mission Local reached and surpassed our $300,000 year-end fundraising goal.Thank you for choosing to invest in a local newsroom rooted in San Francisco’s communities — one that listens first and reports deeply. Your contribution today helps sustain the reporting our city relies on all year long.Please keep your comments short and civil. Do not leave multiple comments under multiple names on one article. We will zap comments that fail to adhere to these short and easy-to-follow rules.Sign up for Mission Local's daily newsletter: The latest San Francisco news in your inbox, no more than once a day, for free.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
San Francisco public schoolteachers strike over wages and health benefitsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Thousands of public schoolteachers in San Francisco went on strike Monday, the first public schoolteachers strike in the city in nearly
Read more »
San Francisco public schoolteachers strike over wages and health benefitsThousands of public schoolteachers in San Francisco have gone on strike for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Read more »
San Francisco Teachers Strike Halts Classes for 50,000 StudentsSan Francisco schools are closed on Monday as teachers go on strike for the first time in nearly 50 years, following failed negotiations over pay and benefits. The United Educators of San Francisco union and the San Francisco Unified School District remain at odds, despite last-ditch weekend talks. The strike affects nearly 50,000 students, prompting the district to seek childcare solutions and virtual learning options. Both sides will resume talks on Monday.
Read more »
San Francisco public schoolteachers strike over wages and health benefitsNegotiations have been ongoing for nearly a year without reaching a new contract.
Read more »
SF public schools close amid teachers’ strikeUnited Educators of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District failed to strike agreement over weekend
Read more »
San Francisco schools close after teachers strike over failed negotiations with unionFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »