This past Saturday, Local 99 member leaders came together for a day of leadership development at Universal City Sheraton. This was followed by our annual Member Recognition Gala where exceptional leaders across our union were recognized for their work as organizers, representatives, and as high contributors to COPE. Check out the photos from the events!
Amazon has just announced a minimum wage of $15 an hour for its U.S. employees. Given Amazon’s size and clout, the move Tuesday is a major victory for the Fight for $15 movement, which was spearheaded by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in 2013. Already, several states and cities have raised their minimum wages above the federal one. The online giant also said it will push Congress to increase the federal minimum wage, now at $7.25.
Per the SEIU Local 99 Constitution and Bylaws, the Local 99 Executive Board will be filling Industry Division Delegate vacancies for the following: LAUSD Board District #1, LAUSD Board District #4, LAUSD Board District #5, LACOE, Higher Education (VCCCD only), Early Education (3 delegate vacancies for MAOF and Options, with no more than two from one employer). The board welcomes all active and eligible members to join the team. Deadline to submit an application is October 14.
Our LACOE Bargaining Team reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) for the 2017-2018 re-opener negotiations on September 4. The terms of this TA are subject to a ratification vote by the SEIU Local 99 membership, and include: ARTICLE – COMPENSATION 3% on-schedule salary increase for all bargaining unit members, retroactive to July 1, 2017. APPENDIX [...]
Today, Governor Brown signed AB 2261 (Friedman) into law. AB 2261 lifts the arbitrary cap on the 720 hours a year that Community Representatives can be paid for, as defined in the California Education Code (Section 45258). This change will allow schools to invest in keeping their parent centers open and accessible for more time during the school year, and makes the Community Representative position a permanent, classified position.
From July 27th to 31st, two of our newly-elected Executive Board Members—Agnes Braga, a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant at LAUSD and Toi Jackson, a Special Education Assistant at LAUSD—volunteered to join a boots-on-the-ground fight in the deep-red state of Missouri to beat back Proposition A. The ballot measure—had it passed—would have made Missouri a right-to-work state. But it didn’t pass. In fact, it was crushed on Tuesday (67.3 percent of voters in opposition versus 32.7 in support) due in large part to the state-wide effort Toi and Agnes were part of to educate voters on right-to-work and its negative impact on worker rights, jobs and the economy. Read our interview with them about their experience out.
Tuesday, August 7 was historic for working people in Missouri. Wealthy corporate interests tried to use their money to rig the system in favor of the 1%. But Missourians rejected the cynical power grab by an overwhelming 2-1 majority. Something big is happening with America’s working people—something that will bring change—and last night was just the latest evidence of this groundswell.
Maria Cerda is an LA Unified parent and SEIU Local 99 members who advocates not only for her children’s schools, but also for the school where she works. "Many parents like me who work for the district have a salary that is not enough to cover basic expenses such as rent, food, transportation. Because my kids don’t qualify for the school bus, I have to drive them to school every day, and I barely can afford gas." Cerda celebrated outside LA Unified headquarters in June when the school board approved a salary increase with their new contract, just weeks after cafeteria workers, school bus drivers, and other classified employees were poised to strike.
Did you know that after 52.5 hours of weekly care you are entitled to an additional hourly rate? After reading the confusing Title 5 Education codes, and clarifying with the CA Department of Education (CDE), we discovered that providers can be paid for hours worked above 52.5 per week. Keep in mind our hourly [...]
In Southeast Los Angeles, many providers work with Plaza Community Services, a network that provides early care and education in the area. In April, we met with Plaza and were informed the network would be transitioning to an Early Head Start program. Shortly after many of us received termination letters from the network. The [...]
