Local 99 Members Take a Midnight Ride to the Capitol to Speak Out for New Legislation
The 2013 Local 99 Sacramento Lobby Team! (click to photo enlarge)
Nearly one hundred Local 99 members joined the Midnight Ride to Sacramento on May 8 to make our voices heard on three assembly bills now moving through the legislative process that, if passed, will have a direct impact on our livelihoods and the services we provide:
- Summer Unemployment Insurance for School Workers (Assembly Bill 615) – This bill will allow school workers to collect unemployment insurance benefits during the summer months.
- A Voice for Child Care Providers (Assembly Bill 641) – This bill will allow child care providers to have a stronger say in issues that impact their profession and the quality of child care in California.
- A Voice for Classified Employees in Charter Schools (Assembly Bill 917) – Currently, teachers and parents can sign petitions to convert a traditional school into a charter. This bill will also allow classified employees at a school to have a voice in the charter conversion process.
In order for these bills to become laws, they must first be heard by legislative committees in the State Assembly and Senate. If the committees and both the Assembly and Senate approve the bills, they will go to the Governor’s desk.
Where are the bills now?
- Assembly Bill 615 (Summer Unemployment Insurance) was passed by the Assembly Insurance Committee and is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
- Assembly Bill 641 (A Voice for Child Care Providers) is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
- Assembly Bill 971 (A Voice in Charter Schools) was approved by the Assembly and will be heard by Senate Committees.
In Sacramento we spoke with 41 law makers and, after hearing from us, there’s no doubt that legislators know we mean business and we’re watching their votes on these bills. The process continues and – make no mistake – it will be a fight, but Local 99 members have demonstrated that we are standing strong to make sure politics works for working people.
Members who joined the trip received a send-off from many school and college board members. See photos from the rally and the trip:
