FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2016
CONTACT: Blanca Gallegos
213-500-9594
bgallegos@seiu99.org
At the urging of Lunch Ladies, Campus Security, Custodians and other classified school employees working for the Lynwood Unified School District, Board Members pass resolution in support of November ballot initiative
Lynwood, CA—The cafeteria workers, campus safety officers, custodians and other classified school workers of SEIU Local 99 urged School Board Members at the Lynwood Unified School District to pass a resolution in support of a ballot initiative that will extend by 12 years the current tax rate on the wealthiest 2% of Californians. Most of the money raised through this current additional tax is funneled into a dedicated education fund that has helped California schools turn a corner after devastating years of education cuts.
“It’s so important for students to have a nice, clean campus. But when the layoffs came, we went from a custodial staff of four to only two. Two of us for a high school of almost 3,000 kids!” said Estella Woods, a Custodian at Firebaugh High. “And the cuts were happening all over the District. Security Officers were laid off, too. The students really suffered, especially the children with asthma. There were areas we couldn’t get to at all, like activity areas and places where the kids like to sit down and eat lunch. But in the past couple years since Prop. 30 passed, the District brought back the Custodians and Security Officers. And summer school was restored at every school. We need to stay on this path of recovery for Lynwood schools. We really need voters to understand how important it is to vote yes on Prop. 55. That’s why I’ve joined with others in my union to have conversations with Lynwood voters.”
In 2012, SEIU Local 99 members played a huge role in voter turnout for Proposition 30, which called on the richest Californians to pay their fair share with a slight income tax increase. Its passage put an end to the massive cuts—$56 billion—to education, healthcare and other critical services and ended years of layoffs, overcrowded classrooms and community college tuition hikes.
“SEIU Local 99 members had a front-row seat on the devastating impact of state budget cuts to our schools and community colleges,” said SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias. “Not just as employees, but also as parents of children in our schools. The cuts meant that children had no time to eat lunch because the lines were too long in the short-staffed cafeteria. Cuts meant the child with asthma struggled in classrooms that could only be swept once a week. Cuts meant parents scrambled because their child’s bus route was eliminated. We can’t go back to cuts.”
To ensure passage of Prop. 55, SEIU Local 99 members have launched an extensive voter outreach campaign, including phone calls, neighborhood walks and mailed information about this important ballot initiative.
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SEIU Local 99 represents nearly 40,000 employees in public and non-public organizations in early education, child care, K-12, and community college levels. SEIU Local 99 members are: Teacher’s Assistants, Playground Workers, Special Education Assistants, Bus Drivers, Gardeners, Custodians, Cafeteria Workers, Maintenance Workers, Family Service Workers, Child Care Providers, and others working in schools, colleges, and administrative offices throughout Southern California.
