In December, SEIU Local 99’s Member Services Committee hosted a celebration honoring those of us who provided leadership in our union in 2013. The event—themed “A Night on Ninety-Nine Boulevard”—served as both a time to grieve together after the sudden passing of Local 99’s President, Eddie Reed, and a time to celebrate our achievements under his leadership.
Local 99 Executive Director Courtni Pugh started the evening as we remembered Eddie in words, photographs, videos, and his favorite songs. Local 99 members shared their memories and what inspired them about our beloved President. Eddie’s family members attended the event, including his wife and several of his children. Then, because Eddie would have wanted it that way, we recognized the other Local 99 members who, like Eddie, gave their time, commitment, and vision to their union. The event honored:
- Executive Board and Officers
- Committee Members
- Member Political Organizers
- Stewards
- Labor Management Committee Members
- Bargaining Team Members
- TEAM (Transform, Educate, Agitate, Mobilize) Members
The event also served as a time to reflect on our achievements of 2013, including:
- Our hard work to improve our jobs and the services we provide
- Our fight to save “Breakfast in the Classroom” at LAUSD
- A strong beginning to our fight for a fair Unemployment Insurance system
- Our efforts to establish commonsense immigration policies
- Our continued efforts to win a voice for classified employees when schools consider becoming charters
- Head Start workers’ fight against the senseless federal “sequestration” cuts
- Child care providers’ growth this year, doubling their membership and increasing their strength
- Members winning improvements in wages and working conditions in new and re-opened contracts in Lynwood, Torrance, Compton, Hacienda La Puente, LACCD, and LACOE
- Our partnership with other SEIU members to win a long-overdue increase to the state’s minimum wage
Finally, we looked forward to the year ahead in 2014 as we fight for:
- Strong contracts with wage increases and improved student services
- A “Local Control Funding Formula” that ensures money for services and jobs
- School workers who don’t have summer employment benefits
- Expanded investment in early education
- OASIS Schools (Optimizing Access to Services, Inspiring Success) that actually meet the needs of the whole child, with expanded nutrition, health, tutoring, and other programs
- Child care providers who need collective bargaining rights
Happy New Year to the entire SEIU Local 99 Family.
