FREMONT — Fremont teachers are inching closer to a possible strike after another round of negotiations with the school district ended without a new contract.
The Fremont Unified District Teachers Association and Fremont Unified School District officials met Monday in a fact-finding session that stretched until 2 a.m. Tuesday, the union said. After hours of discussion, the two sides failed to reach an agreement, as the union continues to demand more competitive wages, health care contributions and smaller class sizes from the district.
Next, a state mediator will issue a report with recommendations on the negotiations by April 15. The two parties will meet within 10 days of the report’s release, and then a strike is legally allowed. As negotiators met inside the union’s offices on Monday after school, an estimated 1,500 teachers and supporters picketed to demonstrate their threat of a strike, union leaders said.
“Our members have made it clear that they are willing to strike for the schools their students deserve,” union president Vicky Chon said in a statement Tuesday morning. “We are disappointed that we couldn’t come to an agreement – but we stand united and firm on our commitment to do whatever it takes for our students.”
The union’s three-year contract expired in June 2024, and they have been negotiating a new one for over a year. An impasse was declared in November 2024, and in February a fourth mediation attempt again was unsuccessful.
Union leaders say the district must reduce classroom sizes and provide healthcare contributions and better overall compensation to help retain educators in the district with over 30,000 students. Since 1997, Fremont teachers have paid their own way for medical and dental expenses, according to the district.
District Superintendent Zack Larsen told this news organization that the union rejected an offer for a 3.5% one time and a 1.5% ongoing salary increase in December. The union instead proposed a 5% ongoing increase for this year, 5% for next year and 5% the following year, Larsen said.
Currently, Fremont teachers can make a yearly salary of $83,000 to $144,000, based on experience, according to the district’s latest pay schedule.
Larsen added that the district would not be able to afford the third year’s increase, which he estimates would cost over $40 million. He said he hopes the two sides can reach an agreement “within the framework of our financial realities.”
“We deeply value our teachers and all of our staff, and we remain hopeful that an agreement can still be reached,” Larsen said in a statement Tuesday.
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