Press Release
For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Contact:
Blanca Gallegos—(213) 500-9594
Los Angeles, CA — The cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, teaching assistants, and other education workers of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99 were joined by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor in endorsing the following candidates for school board:
Compton Unified Board of Education:
Charles Davis
Stephany Ortega
Satra Zurita (incumbent)
Hacienda La Puente Unified Board of Education:
Penny Fraumeni
Anthony Duarte (incumbent)
Lynwood Unified Board of Education:
Alma-Delia Renteria
Alfonso Morales (incumbent)
Torrance Unified Board of Education:
John Paul Tabakian
Mark Steffan (incumbent)
“These candidates have our support because they value the contributions of cafeteria workers, custodians, teaching assistants, campus police officers, bus drivers, and other education workers who help students succeed,” said Courtni Pugh, SEIU Local 99 Executive Director and Vice President of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor. “Our decision to support these candidates was based on their understanding that it takes a full school community to educate our children.”
“They know that it’s difficult for a child to learn if she is hungry or sick or scared. And they understand that when their parents have good jobs, students have the stability they need to do well in school,” added Pugh. “As new funding finally begins to flow into our schools, we need leaders like these who value the contributions of all workers on campus and who will make decisions that address the needs of students both inside and outside the classroom.”
As part of the endorsement process, SEIU members and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor invited all candidates to attend town halls, where members heard from the candidates and then asked each of them specific questions about their policy, labor, and budget priorities. With their endorsements, union members are committing to campaign efforts that will include phone banks and door-to-door voter outreach.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2013.
###
SEIU Local 99 represents 45,000 education workers who provide services essential to student learning throughout Southern California, including nearly 1000 workers who provide essential student services at Compton, Hacienda La Puente, Lynwood, and Torrance Unified School Districts.
The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, represents hundreds of thousands of working women and men. It is the second largest central labor council in the country, representing over 300 unions throughout Los Angeles County.
