SEIU Local 99 Education Workers to Join in Kingdom Day Parade
For Release: January 19, 2015 Contact: Blanca Gallegos ; bgallegos@seiu99.org
School Workers will honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy and highlight the contributions of cafeteria workers, bus drivers, child care providers and others who help build the dream in our schools and communities
LOS ANGELES, CA – School cafeteria workers, teaching assistants, custodians, child care providers, and other education workers who are members of SEIU Local 99 will join the 30th Annual Kingdom Day parade in South Los Angeles, on Monday, January 19 under the banner “Fighting for His Dream.” Both current and retired workers will ride on a double-decker bus displaying images of education workers. The entry illustrates how those who work with our children today are passing on Dr. King’s dream to future generations and creating the leaders of tomorrow.
SEIU Local 99’s participation in the parade also highlights Dr. King’s work to end poverty and the role of labor unions in securing good jobs for working families. In 2014, SEIU Local 99 members working in the Los Angeles Unified School District won a historic contract victory that raised the minimum wage at LAUSD to $15 per hour. This victory will help lift nearly 20,000 school workers and their families out of poverty and raise the wage floor for thousands more working families at LAUSD. Parade marchers will celebrate this victory and draw attention to how Dr. King’s dream of respect and equality is inextricably tied to economic justice for all.
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SEIU Local 99 represents nearly 45,000 employees in public and non-public organizations in early education, child care, K-12 , and community college levels. SEIU Local 99 members are: Teacher’s Assistants, Playground Workers, Special Education Aides, Bus Drivers, Custodians, Cafeteria Workers, Maintenance Workers, Family Service Workers, Child Care Providers and others working in schools, colleges, and administrative offices throughout Southern California.
