On Wednesday morning, a group of around 60 teachers from the Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación in Baja California (CNTE BC) staged a protest at the San Ysidro border crossing. The educators claimed that not all due payments have been made to them.

Marco Antonio Pacheco Peña explained that despite an announcement by Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, stating that payments to all teachers would begin on August 15, interim teachers have not been paid, and payments to retired teachers remain outstanding. Additionally, there are significant delays in this matter.

Carrying flags and banners, and distributing flyers, the teachers demanded payment for wages they say have been overdue since 2022. They hope that those waiting in line at the border would sympathize with their cause, as the protest has been ongoing for about a month in various locations across Baja California.

Here you can see the original version in Spanish: Protestan docentes de la CNTE en garita de San Ysidro

Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda stated that regular salaries, vacation pay, and benefits have already been paid. However, the retroactive payment of an 11% increase from January to date is still pending. This payment has been negotiated with the federal government and is expected to be processed starting Friday, August 30.

“The ordinary salaries and benefits have been paid, and their wages have not been stopped. The pending issue is the 11% retroactive payment from January, which is expected to be processed this Friday after federal negotiations,” she explained.

She further added that payments to interim teachers will begin on September 3, with the expectation of settling all outstanding payments, including backlogs from previous administrations, by October 2024.

“We aim to clear all extraordinary payments and backlogs from previous administrations by October. We are reviewing everything with the finance department. It’s worth noting that the previous administration under Kiko Vega left things in disarray. This Friday, the retroactive payment with the salary increase and bonuses will be issued,” she added.

Luis Gallegos Cortez, the Secretary of Education, emphasized that as of August 28, 92% of schools in Baja California have reopened, while the remaining 8% are still affected by the union's strike. However, following several meetings, there is hope that this issue will be resolved soon.