Oakland teachers announce strike over pay, class sizes

Oakland teachers say they will strike starting Thursday.

The union representing the 3,000 teachers announced the walkout Saturday, making it the latest in a wave of educator activism that has swept the U.S. since last spring.

The union wants smaller class sizes, more counselors and full-time nurses, and a 12 percent raise over three years. The district has offered 5 percent and says it is squeezed by rising costs.

The action comes a day after the sides received compromise recommendations in a fact-finding report.

Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell had said Friday she was pleased with the recommendations report and hoped it would coax the union back to negotiations.

Union president Keith Brown said Saturday that teachers will strike unless the district dramatically changes its spending approach.