The nearly 3,000 members of the Oakland Education Association walked off the job on Feb. 20, forming picket lines in front of schools and attending a rally in front of City Hall. Among their demands were higher salaries, smaller class sizes, and more counselors and nurses in schools.

The union and the Oakland Unified School District remain far apart on salary. The union is seeking a 12-percent raise. The district had offered a 7-percent raise and, in the past week, has increased that offer to 8 percent, to be implemented during a four-year period, and a onetime 2-percent bonus. Negotiations between the two sides have lengthened recently, but no agreement has been reached.

Some students have joined their teachers in picket lines, as have many counselors and nurses. Some parents have joined their students in that picketing.

The six-day strike matched the length of the strike in Los Angeles earlier this year.