Last month we sent out a call to march on the Accelerated Schools in our efforts to bring justice to our beloved community of South LA. When we arrived, we were prepared to give our testimony for a second time after TAS canceled September’s meeting abruptly. The TAS board preferred to shut down the entire meeting instead of listening to the voices of our community.
On October 14, SEIU Local 99 filed unfair labor practices charges with the Public Employees Relations Board regarding the dismissal of Hilda Rodriguez-Guzman at the Accelerated Schools. Hilda served as Local 99's shop steward and Health Services Coordinator at TAS for over a decade. We are attending TAS next board meeting on October 24 at 10am to speak out in support of Hilda. Join us!
On August 29, dozens of South LA community members, TAS parents and alumni came together to demand that the Board of Trustees return Hilda to her position as Health Services Coordinator. Over ten community members spoke powerfully and directly to the Board about how Hilda has touched their lives and urged the board to reconsider its abrupt termination of Hilda.
Hilda Rodriguez-Guzman is a valued South LA community resident, mother, educator, and, up until July 2019, a dedicated Health Services Coordinator at The Accelerated Schools. After 10 years of serving our students and families, Hilda was suddenly and unfairly let go by TAS. We believe Hilda was let go in retaliation for her activism. We condemn retaliation against an employee for union activism. Parents, community, students, and staff are demanding TAS bring Hilda back.
On March 8, SEIU Local 99 members and classified staff at The Accelerated Schools (TAS), a charter school in South Los Angeles, voted to overwhelmingly ratify their tentative agreement with TAS management. For years, employees at TAS dealt with poverty wages, zero paid holidays, minimal sick days, and disrespect on the job. This new agreement will lift the standard of living for every TAS employee and bring good jobs to one of Los Angeles poorest neighborhoods. Read some of the highlights.
We are parents, school workers, and community members at The Accelerated Schools (TAS). Many of us have children attending TAS schools and some of us are even founding parents. We care deeply about our school and its vision of creating a supportive learning environment. However, Mr. Williams, we are concerned that you have strayed [...]
On November 19, our bargaining committee met with TAS management and a mediator appointed by the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to try and reach a resolution on our wages, sick days, and paid holidays. However, even with the mediator, TAS refused to make any serious movement to reach a fair agreement. That is why our bargaining committee unanimously decided to proceed to fact-finding, the last step in the negotiations process. Read more about what fact-finding means and what our next steps are.
On Friday, October 26, 2018, we led a candlelight vigil with dozens of parents, students, community members, and other members of Local 99 to make a call for justice at The Accelerated Schools (TAS). We’ve been in contract negotiations with TAS for over a year, but management refuses to work with us to reach a resolution. At the vigil, we urged TAS to live up to their mission by paying living wages and ensuring there is enough staff to provide students with the quality services and attention they need. We know we are not alone in our struggle. Our bargaining team will be going into a meeting with a mediator soon to try and reach a fair resolution.
Tere Ramos es un miembro de SEIU Local 99 en The Accelerated School (TAS), un escuela charter en el Sur de Los Angeles. Por 15 años, Tere ha cuidado de los estudiantes como trabajadora de servicios de alimentación en TAS. Pero, los salarios de pobreza en TAS dificulta que Tere obtenga la atención médica que necesita. Los miembros de TAS han estado en negociaciones por más de un año sin progreso. Como líder de su comité de negociación Tere esta compartiendo su historia para asegurar que TAS ofrezca escuelas de calidad y mejores vida para su comunidad.
Norma Acosta is a member of SEIU Local 99 at The Accelerated School (TAS), a charter school in South Los Angeles. For 6 years, Norma has served and cared for students as a food service worker at TAS' elementary school ACES. But, poverty wages at TAS make it difficult to make ends meet. TAS members have been in contract negotiations for nearly one year with no progress. As a leader on her bargaining committee, Norma is sharing her story to ensure TAS offers quality schools and better lives for the community. "It’s not right that we work full-time and have dedicated years of our lives to our jobs and we still don’t earn enough to live. TAS must set an example for the community," said Norma.
