Activism
Oakland Teachers Vote to Strike; District Tries but Fails to Block Walkout
Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, OEA second vice president, said, “We’re bargaining for safe, stable, and racially just community schools. Our proposals for wages are to provide the kind of stability our schools [need] by demanding OUSD pay our entire bargaining unit a living wage. Educators need enough money to be able to stay in Oakland.”
By Ken Epstein
Oakland teachers have voted overwhelmingly to conduct an Unfair Labor Practices strike against the Oakland Unified School District. A walkout could come as soon as Monday, May 1.
In an online announcement, the Oakland Education Association (OEA) said 87% of members participated in the strike vote last week, with 88% of them voting in favor of authorizing a walkout.
The union says this action is a last resort after six months of fruitless negotiations with the district.
Oakland teachers are ready to strike. Photo courtesy of Oakland Education Association.
According to OEA Interim President Ismael “Ish” Armendariz, “OUSD’s bad faith bargaining has been disrespectful to our educators and our community. Oakland educators and our community deserve better.”
Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, OEA second vice president, said, “We’re bargaining for safe, stable, and racially just community schools. Our proposals for wages are to provide the kind of stability our schools [need] by demanding OUSD pay our entire bargaining unit a living wage. Educators need enough money to be able to stay in Oakland.”
She said union proposals include “using vacant OUSD properties to house unhoused families in our district. We know that students thrive when their schools and their home lives are stable.”
The union also seeks to increase the number of counselors and psychologists and improve school-site safety.
“We need OUSD to remove the strings from their salary proposals and partner with us to improve student support,” said Taiz-Rancifer.
District officials had asked the state Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) to rule that a strike would not be legal at this time and issue an injunction against it, but PERB refused to stop a strike.
School officials told PERB there is “no compelling state interest that would justify a violation of students’ constitutional rights, especially as this strike activity is based on threadbare allegations of harm.”
Among community leaders in Oakland who are backing the teachers’ union are Cat Brooks, leader of the Anti Police Terror Project, and George Galvis, executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ).
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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Activism
IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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