Victory in LA in Fight for 15 Movement

WASHINGTON, DC - After SEIU Local 99 and the Los Angeles Unified School district agreed on a landmark contract, Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) issued the following statement:

Today we celebrate a new victory in the nationwide Fight for 15 movement with the approval of a contract between SEIU Local 99 and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest school district in the nation. This historic agreement raises the floor to $15 an hour and means family-sustaining wages for 20,000 school workers. Since nearly half of these workers are parents of students in LAUSD schools, this contract opens up a world of possibilities for their children and brightens the future for everyone in the community.

"The positive effects for workers are nearly indescribable. Raul Meza, a school facilities attendant for the past 10 years, is known as "el mil usos" - the man of a thousand trades - to his friends and family because of the many side jobs he has had to string together to support his family before this agreement. By working just one good job, Raul will have time to actually raise his four-year-old son, who starts public school this fall.

"We're so proud of the SEIU members and school district leaders who collaborated to find innovative ways to provide greater stability for tens of thousands of working families and create more opportunities for low-income students.

"At this pivotal moment in the Fight for 15, this groundbreaking contract is a shining example of the transformative power of workers coming together with employers to improve wages, benefits, quality of services and the future of our communities."