My name is Vilma Perez. I’m a cafeteria worker for the Los Angeles Unified School District at Kingsley Elementary School in East Hollywood.
My husband, Bartolome, and I both work very hard to support our family. In addition to our own expenses, we help care for my granddaughter while my daughter goes to college to build a good life for the two of them.
My husband works for McDonald’s. He’s worked for them for 21 years. He makes $10.75 an hour. In 2011, after all those years of working hard for them, they cut his hours. They told him he was too old and too slow. They took away a whole day, cutting his earnings by 25%. We had to apply for food stamps that year.
Last year, my husband was approached by the leaders of the Fight for $15 movement to win a decent wage for fast food workers. He became a leader, too, speaking out on behalf of the millions of people working for very low wages in this very, very rich industry.
My husband doesn’t get any benefits. Luckily, my union, SEIU Local 99, fought to give cafeteria workers an extra hour of work, qualifying me and my family for medical, dental, and vision coverage. That was such an important victory for us. Even my daughter will be covered until she turns 26.
Then, during the fast food workers’ fight for a $15 minimum wage, I learned an amazing thing. Hanna, one of the organizers of the fast food fight for $15 said to me, “Hey Vilma, that’s great that your union is also fighting for $15!” That’s when I learned that we had submitted a proposal to LAUSD demanding a $15 minimum wage.
So we are a Fight for $15 Family!
In July, we ratified our new contract with LAUSD. We won our $15 dollar minimum wage. That’s almost $3 more per hour than I was making. I’m so proud of Local 99. We have won some victories that truly change lives. This victory affects 23,000 school employees and is one of the biggest wins in the nationwide fight for $15.
With rents so high and food costs going up, my new salary will help. If my husband can also win this raise, it will truly change our lives.
I want to thank my other SEIU Local 99 sisters and brothers for supporting fast food workers. Their children are the same children we serve in our schools. When they win their $15, it will mean that mom and dad can help with homework instead of always running off to their second job.
No one should have to live on poverty wages — especially anyone who works hard to make money for gigantic multi-billion dollar corporations.
