Oakland Administrators Begin Work-to-Rule Action

Members of the Oakland Unified administrators union are limiting work to contract hours as bargaining over expired pay terms continues.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Administration

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a stopped wall clock above a doorway in deep red and cream, evoking an institutional standstill. — Oakland Unified administrators began limiting work to contract hours this week, refusing unpaid extra duties while talks over their expired pay contract stall. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The United Administrators of Oakland Schools called on members to work only their contracted hours after their contract expired in June and talks stalled. The move followed a disruption of an Oakland Unified board meeting on Wednesday.

Why it matters

A joint district-union salary study completed in March found administrator pay in Oakland lags neighboring districts, and administrators say rising workloads have gone uncompensated. The dispute affects how Oakland's schools are staffed and led during the current contract impasse.

A joint district-union salary study found base pay gaps between Oakland and San Leandro high school principals reaching as much as $67,000. Oakland's teachers union, OEA, received 11% to 13% raises over three years, depending on seniority, while administrators have not received annual raises.

The players

United Administrators of Oakland Schools (UAOS)

The union representing administrators in the Oakland Unified School District, which is leading the current bargaining dispute.

Cary Kaufman

President of UAOS who called on members to work only their contracted hours until the district makes meaningful movement in bargaining.

The details

UAOS President Cary Kaufman told members to shut down computers, stop answering emails and calls, and leave at the end of the contract workday until the district makes meaningful movement in bargaining. Administrators say they absorbed duties from laid-off staff and cut community school manager hours, adding to their workloads without added pay.

- June: The UAOS contract expired.
- March: A joint salary study was completed.
- April: Principals signed a letter to the board and superintendent expressing concern about transparency.
- July: UAOS members picketed in front of La Escuelita Elementary School over increased workloads.
- October 28, 2026: UAOS members disrupted the start of an OUSD board meeting, and Kaufman issued the work-to-rule call.

Season Trajectory

This is the first escalation of this kind by Oakland Unified administrators in more than a decade, marking a sharper turn than prior labor actions in the district. It follows a pattern of administrators voicing transparency concerns in April and picketing in July before moving to a work-to-rule call.

Families with students in Oakland Unified may notice slower responses from school administrators while the work-to-rule action continues. Administrators are limiting their work to contracted hours until bargaining makes progress.

The takeaway

Oakland's administrators are pressing for pay that keeps pace with neighboring districts and with inflation, and the salary study gives both sides a shared baseline for negotiations. Readers following Oakland schools should watch whether bargaining resumes and whether school operations are affected.