A coalition of 80, 000 educators in 32 school districts across California is celebrating the victory of their colleagues in Whittier. After months of bargaining for fully-staffed classrooms and a fair wage, the Whittier Elementary Teachers’ Association (WETA) are calling a win in their contract talks with the Whittier City School District with 98% approval. Union members, classified staff and district parents showed up at the Nov. 18 school board meeting to see the agreement approved by the school board. Both sides had reached an agreement on Nov. 12, with union members ratifying the agreement on Nov. 14, with a 98% approval. “We are so proud of our bargaining and organizing teams for working hard to win this agreement with the district,” said Allyson Bañales Pfeifer, organizing chair of the Whittier Elementary Teachers’ Association (WETA). Linda Small, president of the district board, could not be reached for comment. In an earlier interview, before the deal was reached, Small said she is committed to working diligently and collaboratively with certificated and classified bargaining groups. “You can be assured that we listen carefully, hear our parents, employees, and other community members and work hard to ensure we do our best to reach good, equitable, and financially responsible decisions,” she added. Included in what the teacher’s association consider wins are class size caps and staffing ratios for special education programs; one-on-one aides for students who need intensive support; a 2. 5% ongoing salary increase; caseload caps for speech language pathologist, resource specialists, inclusion specialists and alternative and augmentative communication specialists; and contract language to ensure teachers and students have support for their students’ full day. “Our work doesn’t stop here-we’ll keep pushing alongside our California School Employees Association colleagues as they fight for six-hour instructional aides-so our students have stable support and our aides qualify for affordable benefits instead of being stuck at 5. 8 hours. Their negotiations continue, and so does our solidarity,” Bañales Pfeifer. As part of the “We Can’t Wait” campaign, the coalition of 80, 000 California educators fighting for shared demands, the Whittier City teachers said they support members of the Little Lake Education Association in nearby Pico Rivera. Educators there are in talks to keep smaller class sizes and fully-funded healthcare. In the Bay Area, United Teachers of Richmond were headed toward a possible strike after a hearing was scheduled Nov. 18 to try and resolve an impasse. The coalition of educators serve 1 million students across 32 school districts statewide, according to Gabriella Landeros, communications organizer for the California Teachers Association. The contract campaigns’ shared demands include fully-staffed, safe and stable schools as well as competitive wages and benefits.
https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2025/11/24/whittier-teachers-celebrate-contract-agreement/