School Employees are the only seasonal workers prohibited by California state law from collecting unemployment.
This needs to change.
The dedicated school employee of SEIU Local 99 are part of a team of bus drivers, campus safety officers, cafeteria workers, custodians, teaching assistants, and many more who make sure our children learn in a clean, safe, and healthy environment. Nearly half of us are parents of school age children. We work in our public schools because we believe all children deserve access to a quality education.
We are proud of the role we play in student learning.
Despite our contributions, school employees in California are the only workers who are denied the opportunity to receive unemployment insurance benefits in the summer months when work is not available.
We are dedicated school workers who provide essential services that help students learn in clean, safe, and supportive environments. But in the summer we struggle to support our own families.
In 2013, we introduced a bill in the state legislature to ensure school employees can receive unemployment benefits in the summer. For the first time ever, we brought this issue directly to legislators and made them aware of how dedicated school workers must struggle in the summer. The bill is not yet a law. It continues in the legislative process and in 2014 we’re going to step up our efforts to move it forward. Join us for a special training presented by SEIU Local 99?s Committee On Political Action on February 1. Come find out what is happening with the bill. Learn more about the legislative process, our plan to move forward in 2014, and what you can do!
Learn more about our fight to win Summer Unemployment Insurance for School Workers
Saturday, February 1, 2014
9:30 am
SEIU Local 99 – 2724 W. 8th St. Los Angeles, CA 90005
Ready to fight? Let us know by registering
Local 99 Member Tanya Walters with Assembly Member Raul Bocanegra, the author of the bill.
SEIU Local 99 Member Tanya Walters, a Bus Driver at LAUSD, traveled to Sacramento today to share her story.“I love being a part of kids’ lives and the education community … I set the tone for the day as I greet them with a smile and make sure they arrive to school safely … I love my job, but I also struggle financially – especially in the summer … I have to choose between food and mortgage payments. The phone bill…or helping my daughter with child care. These are not the choices dedicated school workers should have to make.”
Tanya’s words were heard and it was clear who stood on the side of working people. Every democratic legislator present voted to support the bill. And every Republican (Hagman, Gaines, Olsen, Nestande) voted against it.
Join us on our trip to Sacramento on May 8.Let’s share our stories face-to-face with legislators about why we need to bring fairness to the unemployment insurance system. Click here for details and to sign-up.
Contribute to the Committee on Political Education (COPE).
We all know that money influences politics. SEIU Local 99’s Committee On Political Education (COPE), allows us to pool our money together to fight for the issues that are important to us, like summer unemployment insurance benefits for school workers. Click here to download a sign-up form.
Sign Language Interpreter: “I work day and night to make ends meet.” Read her story. |
School Employees are the only seasonal workers prohibited by California state law from collecting unemployment.
This needs to change.
We pass hurdle toward winning Summer Unemployment Insurance!
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| Our colleague, Salvin Special Ed Center Health Care Asst. Jim Lira, traveled to Sacramento April 23 to testify on AB1638 (the Summer Unemployment Insurance bill) before the Assembly Insurance Committee.Jim really put a face on the issue! After he spoke, the Committee voted 9 to 2 (unanimous Democratic support) in favor of the bill. |
The dedicated school employee of SEIU Local 99 are part of a team of bus drivers, campus safety officers, cafeteria workers, custodians, teaching assistants, and many more who make sure our children learn in a clean, safe, and healthy environment. Nearly half of us are parents of school age children. We work in our public schools because we believe all children deserve access to a quality education.
We are proud of the role we play in student learning.
Despite our contributions, school employees in California are the only workers who are denied the opportunity to receive unemployment insurance benefits in the summer months when work is not available.
In 2013, we introduced a bill in the state legislature to ensure school employees can receive unemployment benefits in the summer. For the first time ever, we brought this issue directly to legislators and made them aware of how dedicated school workers must struggle in the summer. The bill is not yet a law. It continues in the legislative process and in 2014 we’re going to step up our efforts to move it forward. We’re starting fresh with a new bill number that was assigned: AB1638.
Sign our Change.org petition. Click on the link below.
Let’s work together to pass AB1638!
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On Thursday, August 24—at the urging of custodial and cafeteria staff, and other classified school workers of SEIU Local 99—Compton and Lynwood Unified School Board Members passed a resolution that, in turn, urges the California State Legislature and Governor to put an end to their “cruel summer” without pay by passing and signing AB 621 into law.
The Compton School Board resolution was sponsored by Board President Satra Zurita and co-sponsored by Board Clerk Margie Garrett and Board Member Alma Pleasant. The Lynwood School Board resolution was sponsored by Board President Alma-Delia Renteria.
Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99, released the following statement:
“Across California, the school bus drivers, ‘lunch ladies,’ custodians, classroom assistants and other classified employees in our neighborhood schools are a crucial part of the learning experience for our students. They are deeply committed to our students’ success. And yet they struggle every year to make it through the summer break.
“With the passage of this resolution, the Compton School Board has shown they understand this struggle. When school lets out for the summer, classified staff paychecks go away. With earnings of just $20,700 on average each year, many of California’s school support staff—like Special Education Assistants Gloria and Kat and Teacher Assistant Esmeralda—are forced to rely on food stamps, church closets or food banks to get by because they are they only seasonal or periodic workers who are excluded from the unemployment insurance system that fills unemployment gaps for all other such workers.
“AB 621 will help classified workers support their families during recess periods, and help bridge the financial gap that they face during the summer months.
We’re gaining momentum! By August 31, the bill will be reviewed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Speak out in support by sending petition letters to committee members here.
School Workers Speak Out Against the “Cruel Summer”
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.
MEDIA ADVISORY
| For Tuesday, June 13, 2017 |
Contact: Blanca Gallegos 213-500-9594, Terry Carter 213-700-5617, |
LAUSD school workers speak-out for fair wages to ease summer crisis for their families
| WHAT: |
As the summer break begins and the LAUSD School Board reviews its budget for next school year, Cafeteria Workers, Custodians, Bus Drivers, Special Education Assistants and other school workers providing essential student services will rally outside LAUSD Headquarters. They will urge the School Board to ensure fair wages for dedicated school workers who struggle to pay for rent, food, and other basic necessities during what many call the “cruel summer.”
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| WHY: |
During the school year, nearly 30,000 dedicated school workers at LAUSD help children learn to read, safety transport thousands of students to and from school every day, ensure children don’t go to class hungry, and 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. Many collect cans, line up at food banks, or are forced into an endless cycle of debt just to make ends meet. While the minimum wage at LAUSD has increased to $15/hour in the last year, LAUSD continues to depend on a largely part time and seasonal workforce to provide critical student services. A majority of school workers—many them parents of LAUSD students and members of the predominantly Black and Latino communities they serve—are employed for only 10 months and average an annual salary of $22,500. Low wages for parents mean students too often don’t have the stability at home that they need to succeed in school. Furthermore, during the summer break, school workers are not eligible to receive state unemployment insurance benefits and 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. SEIU Local 99 school workers are currently in contract negotiations with the District. They are urging the School Board to support a budget that lifts schools and raises communities with: fair wages so dedicated school workers can raise their families with dignity and stability, greater training opportunities to grow more teachers from local communities, and improved staffing levels for critical student programs and services including school cleanliness, special education, and parent engagement.
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| WHO: |
Cafeteria workers, bus drivers, special education assistants, custodians and other school workers.
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| WHEN: |
Tuesday, June 13, 2017 10:30 am: Rally and Speak-out outside LAUSD Board Room 1:30 pm (approx.): Cafeteria Worker, Special Education Assistant speak during LAUSD Board Meeting
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| WHERE: |
LAUSD Headquarters 333 S. Beaudry Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90005 |
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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.
May 9, 2017
I just got back last week from our “Midnight Ride” to Sacramento to speak out for summer relief.
Earlier this year, SEIU Local 99 members and Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra introduced the Summer Bridge for School Workers Bill (AB 621) to the California State Legislature. (Click here to learn more about this bill.)
In an effort to make sure this bill passes, many of us joined the SEIU Local 99 “Midnight Ride” as part of our continued push for a solution to the cruel and unjust unemployment crisis facing too many of us every summer. Once we arrived in Sacramento, we were also joined by classified school employees from our sister unions, SEIU Local 521 and SEIU Local 1021.
We visited 61 legislators’ offices throughout the day (half of the entire California legislature in just one day!) to make sure these leaders understand how much we struggle in the summer and yet how much we love what we do to help students achieve.
Listen to my union sister Regina Smith, a Special Education Assistant at Crenshaw High School, speak with bill author Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra about why AB 621 is so important for school employees:
While we were in Sacramento, many legislators and staff expressed support for our bill, but we still have more work to do! AB 621 needs to get out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee by May 26th, and out of the full Assembly before the July recess.
I’m glad you asked! Here are two things you can do today:
In Unity,
Lynneier Boyd-Perterson
LAUSD Bus Driver
P.S. I spoke out on our behalf in newscasts across the state—see it here:
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Lynneier was featured in an interview for both ABC’s and CBS’ report on our trip to Sacramento to fight for this bill. Please note that both ABC and CBS have some inaccuracies in their reporting on AB 621. The state will contribute *two days* of pay for every one day that a school employee contributes to their summer bridge fund. The state will provide the funds and local school districts will distribute the funds to participating classified school employees.
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On February 14, SEIU Local 99 members and Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra introduced the Summer Bridge for School Workers Bill (AB 621) to the California State Legislature. With this bill, over 284,000 school workers throughout California are saying “no more” to the cruel and unjust unemployment crisis too many of us face every summer.
If this bill becomes a law, here’s how it will work: During the ten months of the school year, classified school workers will be able to contribute one day of pay each month to the Summer Bridge Fund. In return, the state will provide a 2 to 1 match. That means for every dollar you pay into the fund, you will get an additional two dollars back. You will then be able to cash-out all the money during the summer break when work is not available.
SEIU California
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 30, 2016
DESPITE VETO, SCHOOL WORKERS VOW TO ADDRESS SUMMERTIME POVERTY
Sacramento, CA – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California released the following statement from Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99, on Gov. Jerry Brown’s veto of AB 2197 (Garcia), a bill which would have eliminated the unfair exclusion of classified school employees from unemployment benefits during the summer months when school is out.
“School bus drivers, special education assistants and the people who provide healthy meals for children during the school year face a ‘cruel summer’ because of their exclusion from unemployment insurance benefits. Summertime poverty often forces school workers to take desperate measures to feed our families: collecting cans, using food banks, or selling flowers or food on the streets. While school workers are disappointed that our effort to change that met with a veto this year, we are committed to addressing this problem, and we intend to work with the legislature and the administration to do so. The exclusion of classified school staff from the unemployment insurance system is an unfair policy that exacerbates income inequality and takes its biggest toll on a dedicated and vital workforce.”
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