School Workers Speak Out Against the “Cruel Summer”
LAUSD school workers urge board to approve equitable budget to ensure economic security for families
LOS ANGELES, CA – Cafeteria Workers, Custodians, Bus Drivers, Special Education Assistants and other school workers providing essential student services rallied outside LAUSD Headquarters at the start of the summer break. They urged the School Board to support an equitable and community-focused budget that will ensure fair wages for dedicated school workers—many of them parents of LAUSD students—who struggle to pay for rent, food, and other basic necessities during what many call the “cruel summer.”
During the school year, nearly 30,000 dedicated school workers at LAUSD make sure that students learn in a clean, safe, and supportive environment. Yet, during the summer break they struggle to provide for their own children. While LAUSD has taken great steps to raise the minimum wage, the part time and seasonal nature of the work still means the average wage for workers who provide essential student services is only $22,500 a year.
“I love seeing children aspire to their fullest potential. I would not change my career for any other job, but the summers are very difficult,” said Kathleen Hamm, an 18-year Special Education Assistant. “People ask me how I make it. Well, I respond, ‘Do you know what dumpster diving is?’ When most people are sleeping, I’m out collecting glass bottles, cans, and whatever else is recyclable.”
“Low wages and reduced work hours are not just labor issues. Economic insecurity has a profound impact on the well-being of our families and communities—and the academic achievement of our children,” said Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99. “We call on the School Board to adopt an equitable budget that truly considers the needs of our communities. This includes a budget that will allow dedicated school workers to raise their families with dignity and stability.”
The summer crisis for school workers is further exacerbated because they are not eligible to receive state unemployment insurance benefits during the summer break. Most cannot find additional work because many employers are reluctant to hire and train short term employees. A bill currently in the state legislature, AB621, would help lessen the economic insecurity faced by school workers by setting up a voluntary Summer Bridge Fund. Together with fair wages, the Summer Bridge Bill would help create a pathway out of the “cruel summer.”
SEIU Local 99 school workers are currently in contract negotiations with the District. In addition to fair wages, they are urging the School Board to approve a budget that supports: greater training opportunities to grow more teachers from local communities; respect for every person on campus; and improved staffing levels for critical student programs including school cleanliness, special education, and parent engagement.
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SEIU Local 99 is a union of 35,000 education workers in K-12 schools, early education centers and homes, administrative offices, and community colleges throughout Southern California, including 30,000 cafeteria workers, teacher aides, custodians, bus drivers and others providing essential student services at LAUSD schools. Nearly 50% of SEIU Local 99 members are also parents or guardians of school-aged children. 70% of SEIU 99 members are graduates of LAUSD schools and a great majority are members of the predominantly Black and Latino communities they serve.
