We support Salem-Keizer educational workers!

 

Support for Salem-Keizer Classified Staff Teachers, A Great Radio Interview With Union Leaders, And A Union Rally On 12/28

Jamie Partridge, the ubiquitous Portland-area labor activist and one of the KBOO Labor Radio magnets, sent us a link to a radio interview that he recently did with Salem-Keizer area Salem-Keizer Education Association (SKEA) and Association of Salem Keizer Education Support Professionals (ASK ESP) member-leaders. Jamie is a member of the National Association of Letter Carries #82, Portland Democratic Socialists of America, and Portland Jobs with Justice so he brings some special background and context to his labor radio work. This is a strong interview that gets to the heart of what's going wrong in union contract negotiations between the unions and our school district. Understanding what's going on here seems fundamental to serving as a School Board Director or as a Salem or Keizer city councilperson or running as a candidate for a position on either body, but we have heard that the school board directors have been told not to talk to the unions and we're not aware of positive engagement from Salem or Keizer city councils.

Jamie Partridge's blurb advertising this great show reads as follows:

Rank-and-file leaders of Salem-Keizer education union discuss their struggles for fair union contracts and how they're getting strike ready.

Kimberly Reed Zauber and Geovanny Tolentino of the Salem-Keizer Education Association (SKEA, the certified teachers) plus Jeff Jabin and Brian Zauber Reed of the Association of Salem-Keizer Education Support Professionals are interviewed by Labor Radio host Jamie Partridge.

Go here to hear the interview.

We stand with the SKEA and AK-ESP unions!

The Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter holiday party had members of the Association of Salem-Keizer Education Support Professionals and the Salem Keizer Education Education Association attending. It was a great party and the event was enriched the presence of many members of the two unions. Both unions are in tough contract negotiations right now. Our blog is carry lots of information about solidarity actions supporting them.     

Please support the Salem-Keizer Education Association and the Association of Salem Keizer Education Support Professionals

This is the SKEA bargaining team.

 The photo was taken from SKEA.

Wednesdays are Red for Ed days in the Salem-Keizer Public Schools! Yesterday was the first day of mediation between the Salem-Keizer Education Association (SKEA) and the District. The union held an impressive rally and the union members and supporters who turned out were enthusiastic and loud. SKEA and the Association of Salem Keizer Education Support Professionals (ASK ESP) both deserve our full support as they try to win contracts under especially difficult circumstances.

 

Student sit-in supporting teachers on December 15 and a higher ed worker support rally at WOU on 12/15 also

This student support action will take place at the same time as a rally at Western Oregon University supporting classified staff who are having a hard time in their union contract negotiations. Go to one or go to the other event if you possibly can, but please do something to stand in solidarity with our union siblings, youth and community members. We need a strong solidarity movement in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties to follow through with these actions.

Here is a message from a SEIU Local 503, OPEU activist describing the dimensions of the union's efforts in higher ed:

We at SEIU 503 hope you are well and can take a moment to check out our Community Support Petition linked below.

Our 4,500 repped classified workers at the Seven Oregon Public Universities are in a very tough bargain and hope you can sign off on this support request. Classified workers are the non-teaching campus staff who make the Universities run on time – in academic support; IT; housing; health centers; food services; admissions; facilities; grounds and more. And we hope you can share with your allied folks in the coming days and weeks. It will be an important message to eventually send to the University Presidents; their Trustees and the University communities – as well as the bargaining table where we are finding some serious roadblocks.

Our members have bargained and held boisterous rallies this fall at campuses at OIT in K-Falls; U of O in Eugene and OSU in Corvallis and have plans for a big rally this Friday at PSU (12pm at the Urban Plaza – 1819 SW 5th Ave PDX – on campus) and then at WOU in Monmouth on Friday, December 15th at noon as well.

Click here to support and sign on: https://bit.ly/47GurBt