For the first time in the 63-year history of our nation's School Lunch Program, front-line food service workers are on Capitol Hill today to petition their government to strengthen the program that serves food to more than 30 million children every day.

Because of the current economic crisis, more and more families are relying on school food programs to provide their children with a complete and well-balanced meal. Last month, USA Today reported that "nearly 20 million children now receive free or reduced-price lunches in the nation's schools, an all-time high" and that "many school districts are struggling to cover their share of the meals' rising costs.

On Capitol Hill, the 80 food service workers - members of Service Workers United, and from all over the country - are advocating for stronger USDA Child Nutrition Programs that will:

• Improve food safety, nutrition, health and wellness, and customer service by raising workplace standards and providing living wages, benefits, paid sick leave, and training for all school food service workers.
• Increase federal reimbursement rates for meals to enable schools to cover the rising costs of meeting dietary guidelines and to purchase fresh, healthy foods.
• Reach more struggling families by relaxing eligibility requirements, streamlining application processes, and allowing for regional variations in cost of living in determining eligibility.

These 80 food service workers are representative of the more than 420,000 workers employed in school cafeterias throughout the country. Although these workers' mission is to fight poverty and hunger work, some of them are paid as low as $6.55 an hour with no benefits.

Do your part by signing on to tell Congress we need an improved Child Nutrition Act: http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/nutritionact

Thousands of school food service workers in New Jersey are living at or near poverty, according to a new report commissioned by SEIU Local 32BJ. The report found that the average hourly wage for food preparation workers in educational services was only $8.15, and revealed that many of these jobs pay no more than the NJ state minimum wage of $7.15.

The report, prepared by the Rutgers University Center for Women and Work/School of Management, ascertained that 64 percent of NJ K-12 school districts contract their food service to an outside company and that those private sector cafeteria jobs are largely part-time and typical offer with no affordable health benefits. As a result, most workers are uninsured or forced to turn to the state's public health insurance programs-- a result that contributes largely to the school food service industry acting as one of the biggest drains on New Jersey FamilyCare, as over 6,300 employees and their children covered by the taxpayer-funded state health assistance plan.

Public schools bus drivers working without a contract since May protest employer's delays; demand higher wages and affordable health insurance

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 members who work as bus drivers for West Hartford Public Schools' transportation contractor braved the icy cold last week in an appeal to raise community awareness and support in their ongoing struggle to get their employer, First Student Inc. of Cincinnati, to invest in its workforce and negotiate a first contract.

The bus drivers are frustrated with apparent lack of interest the transportation contractor has shown thus far in recruiting and retaining quality school bus drivers whose top priority has been the safety and security of the children in their care. "For years, the contractors for West Hartford's schools have had a tough time keeping qualified drivers because they offered wages that were far below a livable wage," said Marcus Evans, a veteran school bus driver working in the district. "When we voted for our union earlier this year, we voted to get a contract in place that could slow down turn-over and begin driving up standards."

The morning protest in front of Town Hall generated plenty of media buzz, assuring the press coverage needed to deliver the local union's core message to parents, residents, and local elected officials. Nearly eight months after joining the union, the bus drivers who deliver the district's children to and from school are still dedicated to "driving up standards" in West Hartford. And wouldn't you know, First Student showed up for contract talks the very same evening of the protest (and the following morning), after postponing the last two sessions scheduled in November.

Watch video coverage of the picket.

Visit www.seiu2001.org for more information about the union's "Driving Up Standards" efforts.

School district's transportation services provider employees holding an informational picket in West Hartford town center on Monday, December 8 at 10:30 a.m.

HARTFORD--For the bus drivers working for West Hartford Public Schools' student transportation contractor, their top priority has been the safety and security of the children in their care. That is why in late-May the workers, who are employed by First Student, Inc., voted overwhelmingly to unite in CSEA/SEIU Local 2001. However, they are concerned that because the company has failed to make negotiating a first contract a real priority, it signals a lack of interest in recruiting and retaining quality school bus drivers.

The bus drivers are holding an informational picket Monday, December 8 to raise community awareness of their ongoing struggle to move First Student to invest in its workforce. Union members will be gathering at 10:30 a.m. in front of West Hartford Town Hall, located at 50 South Main Street. The rally will take place for approximately ninety minutes, and members of the union's negotiating committee will be available for press interviews.

"For years, the contractors for West Hartford's schools have had a tough time keeping qualified drivers because they offered wages that were far below a livable wage," said Marcus Evans, a veteran school bus driver working in the district. "When we voted for our union earlier this year, we voted to get a contract in place that could slow down turn-over and begin driving up standards" Evans, a member of the union's negotiating committee continued.

First Student, Inc. was awarded the transportation contract for West Hartford Public Schools in mid-May, two weeks before the drivers and mechanics voted to join CSEA/SEIU Local 2001. The company is a subsidiary of FirstGroup, a United Kingdom-based transport provider with operations throughout North America and Europe that employs 67,367 worldwide, and reported sales of $5.06 billion in 2005.

"We're just looking for fairness and equity from First Student -- and we know they can afford to make a greater investment in their bus drivers" Evans continued. "If they were concerned about keeping quality, experienced workers, they would make more of an effort to move this process along" Evans concluded, referring to the fact that First Student postponed the two most recent negotiating sessions.

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 represents 25,000 active and retired public sector workers serving in state, municipal, and town agencies, as well as local school boards across Connecticut. The union's membership also includes workers with non-profit organizations and private companies contracted to provide public services through state, and local government agencies. Visit online for more information about the union's "Driving Up Standards" efforts.