Posts tagged layoffs
Mayor Lurie tells S.F. departments to plan for 500 job cuts as labor battles intensify
March 7, 2026 // Mayor Daniel Lurie was already in a tough spot with San Francisco labor unions Monday when his administration delivered a sobering message: City Hall needs to eliminate hundreds of jobs. At least 500 positions are on the chopping block as the city seeks to reduce its spending on salary and benefits by $100 million, according to Lurie’s budget director Sophia Kittler. She told departments in an email that San Francisco “cannot afford to sustain current spending on personnel costs” as it works to eliminate the recurring deficits that have plagued the city since the pandemic.
Wave of California teacher strikes ‘is no coincidence’
March 4, 2026 // Thousands of California K-12 teachers have walked off their jobs or voted to strike in the past few months, as part of a strategic, statewide effort by the California Teachers Association to boost salaries and benefits — and get the public’s attention. “All these districts going out on strike — it’s not a coincidence at all,” said David Goldberg, president of the California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union. “Everywhere in the state there are people with unmet needs. The conditions have been ripe for a long time.”
Oakland Schools, Teachers Union Reach Deal, Avert Strike
March 1, 2026 // Last summer, it just regained local control after 20 years in state receivership. Without factoring in the price of the new deal, OUSD is eyeing $102 million in cuts by June. Interim Superintendent Denise Saddler told the school board this week that without those reductions, “we won’t be able to pay all the people on our payroll in the fall. We don’t have the money in the budget for next year.” On Wednesday, OUSD approved cutting nearly 400 staff positions, including 180 filled by OEA members, through early retirement buyouts, elimination of vacant positions, and layoffs. Altogether, that is estimated to save about $11 million annually
Fresh hell for parents as another major CA teachers’ union votes for strikes
February 24, 2026 // The education association said 91% of participating members backed the move, accusing the district of failing to make meaningful movement on salary demands and classroom conditions. It comes just days after San Francisco signed a deal worth $183 million with teachers following a week without classes, with sweeping layoffs expected to come. Union leaders say educators in Oakland rank among the lowest paid in the Bay Area and have pledged to fight for a contract that delivers “safe, stable, racially-just schools.”
SFUSD to issue layoff notices a week after $183 million deal to end teachers strike
February 23, 2026 // Prior to the teacher contract negotiations, the district faced an ongoing deficit even after cutting $114 million from the $1.4 billion budget last year.
The SFUSD teachers strike has now followed Maria Su home
February 16, 2026 // District representatives did not respond to a request for comment. The protest was led by community groups serving youth, such as PODER and Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth. Yellow sun with wide rays extends from the right against a clear blue sky background. Subscribe to The Daily Because “I saw a TikTok” doesn’t always cut it. Dozens of stories, delivered every day. Sign up now Since teachers walked off their jobs Monday, the district and union have reached agreements on some key demands — such as safeguards for the use of artificial intelligence and sanctuary protections for immigrant students — but they remain in conflict over wage increases, dependent healthcare, and special education staffing. Winnie Porter, a retired Spanish teacher and librarian who worked in the school district for nearly 40 years, said protesting at Su’s home is justified. “She’s bringing it to our homes,” Porter said. “No healthcare for our kids, our families.
Federal Workers Win Another Layoff Reprieve in DHS Funding Bill
February 4, 2026 // The extension is a temporary win for public-sector unions that have sought to permanently extend the moratorium after the Trump administration used a combination of resignation incentives and formal RIFs to cut the federal workforce by about 219,000 in 2025. The moratorium was initially negotiated by Kaine, and will last only until DHS funding runs out on Feb. 13.
Labor standoff at LA’s Loyola Marymount University a battle over Catholic teaching
February 1, 2026 // On the pages LMU published profiling the dispute, the institution defends its action by stating “invocation of the religious exemption is lawful, grounded in the U.S. Constitution, and consistent with Supreme Court and NLRB precedent. This right cannot be waived and may be exercised at any point.” “The Board reached this decision to protect LMU’s Catholic mission, its students, and its long-term sustainability,” Griff McNerney, LMU’s senior director of media and public relations, told OSV News in an e-mailed statement. “After months of discernment, trustees concluded that direct partnership with faculty — without SEIU’s involvement — would enable faster, more mission-aligned progress toward shared goals.” McNerney noted, “From December 2024 to Summer 2025, LMU reviewed 39 proposals and made counterproposals, none of which were accepted by the union.”
Sudden removal of materials likely triggered Alton Steel plant closure, union officials say
February 1, 2026 // New details emerged Thursday regarding the abrupt mass layoffs at Alton Steel, where union leaders say the sudden removal of inventory by a contractor over the weekend triggered the mill’s collapse. According to Scott Hall, president of the United Steelworkers Local 3643, a scrap provider entered the facility during a snowstorm on Saturday and began loading up materials.
What we know so far about San Francisco’s looming teachers strike
January 28, 2026 // Su said the offer was one of SFUSD’s “creative suggestions” it presented to the union at the bargaining table. Other suggestions included augmenting the salaries of special education teachers and identifying a pathway for the district to fully fund family health benefits. Those offers were rejected by the union without a counteroffer, according to Su. The district claims that it simply can’t meet the union’s salary demands while also closing its roughly $100 million budget deficit and avoiding state oversight.