LOS ANGELES, CA — As the LAUSD School Board met to review its budget, school workers rallied and set-up a 90-foot “wall of names” in front
of Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters listing more than 10,000 LAUSD workers, many of them LAUSD graduates and parents of
LAUSD students, who currently don’t have equal access to LAUSD health care benefits. School workers also read some of the names during
The Board of Education meeting.
Thousands of Teacher Assistants, After School Workers, Playground Supervisors and other workers who provide essential student support are
currently denied access to District health care benefits. While Teacher Assistants are eligible for benefits, the cost of coverage is simply
unaffordable for most Teacher Assistants and a majority of them forgo health coverage. The cost of single coverage can total nearly 20% of
an average Teacher Assistant’s salary. Coverage for two or more dependents totals nearly 90% of an average Teacher Assistant’s salary.
After School Workers, School Supervision Aides, Community Representatives and other school workers providing essential student support
are completely excluded from the District’s benefits plan. These workers are the only LAUSD employees who do not have equal access to the
same benefits offered to all other District employees. SEIU Local 99 members are currently in negotiations with the District to expand
benefits to these hard working families.
“We’re naming each worker by name because as the District reviews its budget, they need to understand that dedicated school workers are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are mothers and fathers of District students, educators committed to keeping our children safe and learning, LAUSD graduates, future teachers, members of our Latino and African American communities who have historically suffered from unequal access to quality health care. LAUSD must do the right thing and ensure that these workers who help teach our children can also provide a safe and healthy environment for their own families,” said Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99.
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SEIU Local 99 represents employees throughout Southern California in public and non-public
organizations in early education, child care, K-12, and community college levels, including nearly 30,000
Teacher’s Assistants, Playground Workers, Special Education Assistants, Bus Drivers, Gardeners,
Custodians, Cafeteria Workers, and Maintenance Workers at LAUSD. Nearly 50% of SEIU Local 99
members are also parents or guardians of school-aged children.
Contact: Blanca Gallegos bgallegos@seiu99.org
