Video: OEA Rep Council Vote On Tentative Agreement. Diverse Views

Friday March 1, a powerful strike by the Oakland Education Association (OEA) came to an abrupt halt when the union's bargaining team and officers agreed to a tentative contract settlement that fell far short of what Oakland teachers and their student and community supporters thought they'd been fighting for.

The next day, over 100 OEA site representatives met to discuss the settlement and then vote on whether to recommend ratification to the general OEA membership. Labor videographer Steve Zeltzer interviewed several people on their way into the meeting hall. The interviewees included some past and present OEA leaders, as well as several rank and file members, and presents a diversity of views, ranging from outraged opponents of the settlement to staunch defenders. The video is 25 minutes long, and we think that it's well worth watching in its entirety.

Jack Gerson, former Oakland Education Association Executive Board and former negotiating team member