PPS To Treat SEIU Custodians And Food Service Workers Unfairly AGAIN?

Here's a link to an Oregonian / Steve Duin article stating that PPS is proposing a 30% pay cut for our SEIU custodians and food service workers.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/index.ssf?/base/news...

"And as the opening salvo in negotiations over a new contract with its custodians (who average $14 an hour), Portland Public Schools proposed a 30 percent pay cut." -- Duin

The custodians are actually facing a 27% pay cut, with the starting wage going from over $14 an hour to just $10.70 per hour. With food, energy and health care costs spiraling upward, this is unconscionable.

Here is a link to sign an on-line SEIU petition to support our PPS workers:
www.seiu503.org

Below is testimony from Linda Hush-Loomis, wife of a PPS custodian who is facing this pay cut. She attended the PPS School Board meeting with her 4 year old triplet daughters.

PPS BOARD TESTIMONY
LINDA HUSH-LOOMIS
10/8/07

My husband is one of 287 full time custodians hired by PPS this past spring. They are currently in contract negotiations and are being offered a 30% pay cut and to absorb all future health care increases. The average annual income is $25,489 and the cut would reduce them to $17,842. Many of the custodians were part of those fired when PPS brought in contract workers. The Oregon Supreme Court ruled this action illegal and PPS was ordered to rehire them.

Most of these individuals left jobs to come back to PPS for the promise of over $14 per hour. My husband left a job paying nearly $13 per hour, the cut would leave him around $11 per hour.

The morale of these employees is devastatingly low. Grant High School (largest in PPS) has only 6 custodians and prior to the firing had 13-15. They cannot get the school cleaned and the supervisor is being reprimanded even though she has been denied more staff. I remember the public overwhelmingly did not support the move to contract workers 4 years ago and on the outside it looks like PPS is trying to push this agenda again.

There were 900 custodians prior to the termination. PPS had plans to hire approx. 350 this spring, to date 287 full time and 17 part-time custodians have been hired. This is a salary savings of over $15 million. How much are safe and healthy schools worth to PPS?

The schools were filthy when the custodians started back this spring. They appeared to only have been surface cleaned. There were inches of dust and dirt on top of lockers. This is proof of the decline in the quality of service at the facilities. The custodians need resources to get the job done right. If classrooms are dirty, more kids get sick, asthma flares up, absenteeism rises. PPS needs to start to see the value a clean and safe environment has on learning. Some of the board did site visits last week and were informed of this situation.

As a parent I am going to do my part to spread the word about this situation, gather signatures, attend board meetings and rally parents to get involved.

Linda Hush-Loomis
Wife of SEIU school custodian
10/8/07 to School Board

Here is a petition you can download in support of our custodial and food service workers. It states:

WE SUPPORT SAFE AND HEALTHY SCHOOLS!
Dear Cathy Mincberg,
We are the parents and teachers of Portland Public Schools. We support safe and healthy schools, job security, living wages, and affordable health care for all PPS employees. We will take action to ensure a fair contract for our school custodians and food service workers, who provide a healthy and safe learning environment for our kids.

Please send the completed petitions to:

PPS Custodians and Food Service Workers
6401 SE Foster Rd.
Portland, OR 97206

Link to new Willamette Week article by Beth Slovic re this topic: http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3349/9817/