Sacramento City Unified Teachers Strike Enters 2nd Day; Campuses Remain Closed

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Thousands of Sacramento City Unified teachers, staff and union members are protesting again on Thursday, this time at the Sacramento County Office of Education.

It's the second day on the picket lines for teachers - and the second time in three years they have gone on strike. Pay, health and safety protocols, and staffing shortages are among the sticking points with the district.

The union says the district has not negotiated in good faith and that more than a quarter of the students do not have a regular teacher for instruction, while nearly 600 independent study students have never had a teacher this school year.

"Jobs are posted and they stay posted and they are not following through in that end to get those people interested in being teachers in our classroom, or support staff in our classroom. We need that. Our students need that," said 6th-grade teacher Rhiannon White-Andrews.

They also say the district hasn't done enough to bring in support staff fast enough.

"Bus drivers, we work hard every day - double and triple and up route sometimes - having to pick up kids an hour and a half late because we just can't retain our staff," said bus driver Dominique Chadwick.

The district says they have tried to meet with union leaders but no talks have happened Wednesday or Thursday. 

Mayor Darrell Steinberg, responding to the strike, urged both sides to end the stalemate.

"For the sake of kids, parents, teachers, and all Sac City workers, I implore the parties to continue to do everything possible to end this strike immediately," Steinberg said in a statement on Wednesday.

Sacramento City Unified campuses are closed during the strike, but the district is still offering free meals to students at nine different locations.