UTR WCCSC Teachers Striking & Fighting for Smaller Class Rooms & Living Wages

The United Teachers of Richmond UTR who work at the West Contra Costa Unified School District WCCUSD are fighting for living wages and smaller classrooms so students can receive a high quality education. They started a strike on December 4. 2025 with Teamsters Local 856 but that local settled their contract.

Teachers, students and parents spoke out at the Hercules Middle School on Monday 12/8/25.

Additional Media:
Co-locations, Charters, Privatization, Resegregation & Union Busting
https://youtu.be/k_Hf7FGt_vU

Production of Labor Video Project
http://www.labormedia.net

Open Letter to WCCUSD Board Member Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy
https://www.facebook.com/kristen.pursley.39

Hello Board Member Gonzalez Hoy,

I am writing to you because you have been so supportive of the strike by United Teachers of Richmond and Teamsters. Thank you so much for your support. My union, Adult School Teachers United (ASTU), has also been supporting the strike. In November, we voted not to cross the picket line should a strike by either UTR or Teamsters go forward. Now that the a strike by both is on, we are, in effect, on a sympathy strike with them.

I want to draw your attention to an attempt by the district to prevent us from exercising our right to support our union brothers and sisters via a sympathy strike. Yesterday, Thursday, December 4, at 4:01 PM, I received a letter from Roy A. Combs of the Fagen, Friedman & Fullfrost law firm on behalf of the District. The opening paragraph of the letter confirms receipt of my correspondence regarding the teacher's strike. This can only refer to an email I sent to Superintendent Cheryl Cotton on November 16, informing her that ASTU membership had voted to honor the picket line by not showing up for work in the event of a strike by either UTR or Teamsters. That is the only correspondence ASTU has had with the district about the strike.

The letter goes on to say that the District "wholeheartedly intends to respect your rights to engage in lawful concerted activity" but then states that ASTU members are expected to report to their assigned work duties at their scheduled time, as well as "make your best efforts to ensure the safety of all students at the site" and inform our supervisors of any disruptions of our normal work duties by the strike. In other words, the letter says that the district expects us to cross the picket line and even complain about "disruptions" from strike activities, which is in direct opposition to our right to engage in lawful concerted activity.

I have written to the district that we are in receipt of the letter and will continue to honor UTR/Teamsters picket lines as is our right.

The timing of this letter is strange. Since the district was notified of ASTU's intention to support a UTR and/or Teamsters strike on November 16, why did they wait until late afternoon on the first day of the strike to write a letter saying they expect our members to show up for work? By the time the letter arrived, ASTU members had already stayed away from work for the entire day in solidarity with UTR and Teamsters, and many had been on the picket lines. (And of course we fully intend to keep doing so.)

I have to wonder about the purpose of this strange letter, and also about what it cost. What did the district hope to gain by intimidating a union of less than 100 teachers who do not work with children? Even if our members returned to work, it wouldn’t have done anything to solve the district’s main problem during the strike: lack of staff in the K-12 schools. I know lawyers aren't cheap. While claiming there is no money to improve the working conditions of teachers and learning conditions of children, the district seems to be willing to choose intimidation over cooperation and to be willing to pay handsomely for it.

ASTU will continue to support UTR and Teamsters in their strike. Does the Board know about this attack on our rights? I understand that the board will meet tonight, and I hope you will bring this to their attention.

Kristen Pursley
President, Adult School Teachers United (ASTU)