— MEDIA ADVISORY —
For Release:
September 13, 2011
Contact:
Blanca Gallegos 213-387-8393, ext. 219
213-500-9594 (cell)
After years of pay cuts and layoffs, custodians, cafeteria workers, and others at Lynwood Unified will say “no more” and rally against health benefit increase
WHAT:
Food service workers, custodians, security officers and other Lynwood Unified classified workers, many of them parents of Lynwood Unified students, will rally and speak before the school board to protest the district’s proposal to increase family health care costs, leaving many Lynwood Unified students without access to affordable health care. Workers will urge the Board to instead keep cuts away from children by stopping wasteful spending on exorbitant consultant fees.
WHY:
To help address budget cuts, school workers at Lynwood Unified have taken 12 furlough days over the past three years, dozens of school security officers and others have been laid off, and workers have not received a wage increase in five years. The sacrifices have been a hardship for families, but workers have agreed to share the burden to ensure student learning continues with minimal interruption. Yet, workers say the District’s latest proposal is the last straw. Lynwood Unified is proposing health benefit cost increases that will amount to up to $500 in monthly fees for families and may force some parents to forego health care for their children. At the same time, the District is continuing to pay tens of thousands of dollars in consulting fees, including $78,000 to a health care consultant.
WHO:
Lynwood Unified school staff, including custodians, campus security officers,cafeteria workers.
WHERE:
Lynwood Unified School Board
11321 Bullis Rd. Lynwood, CA 90262
WHEN:
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Rally in front of school board building
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Speak out at school board meeting
VISUALS:
Dozens of workers and community members rallying, chanting, holding signs reading “Enough is Enough,” “Good Jobs = Healthy Schools” in English and Spanish.
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SEIU Local 99 is a union of more than 43,000 education workers, including K-12 schools, early education centers, and community colleges. We are teachers, paraeducators, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and others working in schools, colleges, and administrative offices throughout Southern California.
