LAX Leader

Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) joined members of the SEIU Local 99 chapter and United Teachers Los Angeles on the first day of a three-day strike demanding better wages and working conditions from the Los Angeles Unified School District for bus drivers, food service workers, custodians, special education assistants, and other essential personnel.

Schiff spoke at a press conference alongside SEIU Local 99 executive director Max Arias, president Conrado Guerrero, Vice President Elizabeth Thomas-Parker, and UTLA president Cecily Cruz where he expressed his support for the striking workers. After the press conference, he met with striking union members and walked alongside them in the picket line. Nearly 30,000 members of SEIU Local 99, including bus drivers, food service workers, custodians, and special education assistants work in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and teachers who are members of UTLA have joined their picket in support.

“Essential staff in the Los Angeles Unified School District are making $25,000 a year, which puts them below the poverty line. If we wonder why so many people are homeless, wages like these put one out of every three of our lowest paid school staff at risk of homelessness. These are school bus drivers, school cafeteria workers, special education aids and others. Such low wages impact our school staff, and in turn, our students and their families. Our kids deserve a quality education, in a safe school and with adequate staff, and that requires paying a decent wage and ensuring good working conditions. LAUSD must come to the table and find a solution so that our kids can go back to the classroom and our school staff can get paid enough to keep a roof over their heads,” said Schiff.

Original source can be found here