Join Our Union

Education Workers United

SEIU Local 99 currently represents more than 43,000 working in the education field. By uniting with others who work in schools and other education facilities, we have a stronger voice on the job and in our communities. Together, we also create a better future for ourselves and our students by lifting school standards and working conditions.

SEIU Local 99 is part of the Service Employees International Union, an organization of 2.2 million workers united by the belief in the dignity of all working people and the services they provide.

To find out more, please contact Courtni Pugh at (213) 387-8393, ext. 317 or cpugh@seiu99.org.

Already part of a Bargaining Unit?
If you are already a part of a bargaining unit and simply need to sign your membership card, please contact the Member Services Department at (213) 387-8393. Having a signed membership card on file with your union is the only way to ensure that you receive all the member benefits, including receiving union mail, qualifying for union discounts, and voting on contracts and other important issues.

Download a Membership Application today!
(You can sign the application and mail it to: "ATTN: Member Services Department, 2724 W. 8th St., Los Angeles, CA 90005")

How Can A Union Help?
Here are seven good reasons to join your co-workers to form a union.

1. Those of us on the front line have the best insight into what is needed to do the best job possible for the students and families we serve. Together, we can advocate more effectively for improvements in our workplaces and bring progress to our education system. Union contracts often include the establishment of a Labor Management Committee, where union members regularly sit down with our employers’ top decision-makers to improve things like staffing levels, proper training, and other worksite issues.
2. Working together, union members have the strength to win better wages, affordable health care, a secure retirement, good working conditions, and improvements to the services we provide. And with a contract, these things are guaranteed in writing and can’t be changed simply because there’s a new boss or the economy is suffering.
3. The Union Advantage is substantial. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, union members are much more likely to have health benefits and pensions.
4. Union members earn more than their non-union counterparts—28% more, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. For Latinos and women workers, the union impact is even greater. Women workers who are union members earn nearly 32% more a year than their non-union counterparts. For Latino workers the union advantage is 43 %.
5. In addition to helping workers win better wages and benefits, unions help all workers by giving working families a stronger voice in our communities and in the political arena. In this tough economy, it’s more important than ever to we advocate for funding for the quality services we provide. And we work with elected leaders to find alternatives to layoffs, so that both jobs and services can be protected.
6. By joining together, we can build the strength to hold elected officials accountable and to elect leaders who will truly address our concerns. As education workers, many of us have the unique opportunity to elect our own bosses to the school boards in our districts.
7. We help insure a fair environment at work, where there are protections against favoritism and unjust treatment. Most contracts outline progressive discipline and grievance procedures, establishing good practices for management to follow.

Our Industries…

Members of SEIU Local 99 work at every stage and in every capacity in our education system, working to make our schools and institutions the oases for children and young adults that they’re supposed to be—safe, creative, inspiring worlds where every child is nurtured and challenged to achieve their most hopeful goals. Hundreds of us working in the education field across California are joining together to improve education and ensure that we have good jobs.

Early EducationNationally, SEIU represents 200,000 employees working in early education, including Head Start, state-funded programs, child care, and in-home child care. Our members work at both public and private organizations. Here in Southern California, SEIU Local 99 represents more than 3,600 early education employees, including nearly 700 Head Start staff.

We are Teachers, Teachers’ Assistants, Family Service Workers, Home Visitors, Food Service Workers, and more. We work hard to give our students the quality attention they deserve. We know that in order to make the future brighter for our students and for ourselves, we need a strong voice in how our programs are run.

And we are reaching out to others in our industry to make sure that all early education workers are getting the training opportunities they need, paths to career advancement, access to affordable health insurance, equitable pay, paid sick time that helps keep our small children healthy, and the strong voice necessary to improve the quality of early education and early education jobs.

We represent early education workers at Options, Inc.; Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF); CDI, Head Start; the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

United together, we have our combined strength to make early education a national priority and to fight inadequate childcare funding that endangers the quality of our programs and our jobs.

If you are interested in becoming a part SEIU Local 99, please contact Courtni Pugh at (213) 387-8393, ext. 317 or cpugh@seiu99.org.

K-12 SEIU Local 99 represents more than 35,000 employees in K-12 education in Southern California, including public schools, independent charters, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Nationally, SEIU represents 145,000 employees in K-12 education.

We are Teacher’s Assistants, Special Education Aides, Bus Drivers, Gardeners, Custodians, Cafeteria Workers, Maintenance Workers, Playground Supervisors, School Security Officers, and many more.

Nearly half of SEIU Local 99 members are parents or guardians of school-aged children. In polls of our membership, we’ve found that the most important community issue—not just for Local 99 members but for SEIU members across California—is improving educational opportunities for our children. We believe that a key part of improving schools is making sure we have good school jobs—good working conditions, health benefits that keep us on the job and prevents illness from spreading on campuses, job security that keeps experienced, familiar staff at our schools, and a respect for our insight and ideas.

We represent K-12 employees at the Compton, Hacienda La Puente, Los Angeles, Lynwood, Pleasant Valley, Santa Monica-Malibu, and Torrance Unified School Districts, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE).

If you are interested in becoming a part SEIU Local 99, please contact Courtni Pugh at (213) 387-8393, ext. 317 or cpugh@seiu99.org.

Higher EducationSEIU represents 55,000 employees working in our colleges, universities, community colleges, and trade schools. We are Adjunct Professors, Librarians, Information Technology staff, Custodians, Food Service workers, and Maintenance workers. SEIU Local 99 represents more than 800 employees in higher education throughout the Southland.

SEIU is on the forefront of the fight for increased access to education, the engine of our economic recovery. We will not stand by while our higher education system—once the envy of the entire country—serves fewer and fewer students at higher cost with shrinking course catalogs. SEIU members throughout California want our colleges to be good schools for our children and future generations.

We represent higher education employees at the Los Angeles and Ventura County Community College Districts.

If you are interested in becoming a part SEIU Local 99, please contact Courtni Pugh at (213) 387-8393, ext. 317 or cpugh@seiu99.org.

Member Organizers:

Building a Strong Union for all Education Workers

Members of SEIU Local 99 take the lead in reaching out to non-union education workers through our Member Organizing  Committee (MOC). The Committee builds strength for all workers by helping non-union workers organize a union and secure a contract. The greater our numbers as education workers, the stronger our voice.  For more information about joining the Member Organizing Committee contact Courtni Pugh at 213-387-8393 ext. 317 or cpugh@seiu99.org.