Sacramento City Unified School District, SEIU union reach deal to avoid strike
Sacramento City Unified and the union that represents custodians and bus drivers announced Tuesday morning that they reached an agreement on how to provide in-person services for students, avoiding a two-day strike later this week.
The union, SEIU 1021, originally announced a two-day strike for Thursday and Friday after disputing with the school district on child care, stipends and physical distancing guidelines. The Sacramento City Teachers Association pledged their support to join with a sympathy strike.
The agreement, which will be signed Tuesday morning, was reached after the two parties met in mediation for hours on Monday.
According to a statement from SEIU, the agreement includes providing SEIU members with fitted N95 masks if they work in close proximity to students, allowing school-based members to bring their school-age children to work, a leave bank for workers facing side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, special ventilation and filtration systems and a robust COVID-19 testing schedule.
The district will offer up to $3,100 in stipends and reimbursements for SEIU members, according to the memorandum of understanding. The district and union also agreed that if any provision contained in the MOU conflicts with updated public health guidelines or recommendations, the parties agree to meet and confer.
“All along our goal has been to reach an agreement with each of our five labor partners, including SEIU 1021,” said Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jorge A. Aguilar. “Our students have been without in-person instruction for over a year, and we are looking forward to welcoming back our secondary students this week. We know that our students deserve the option of in-person instruction and support from our school sites, and that every minute of instruction counts. With an agreement in place with all five labor partners, we are pleased that we can now move forward together to welcome our students back to our schools.”
SEIU officials said they were grateful to have reached an agreement with the district.
“The absolute last thing any school worker wants to do is go on strike,” read a statement from SEIU 1021. “Workers don’t want to be walking a picket line over unfair labor practices, we want to be at work supporting the growth and development of Sacramento’s next generation of leaders and residents. It was imperative to us that we be able to do that safely, though.”
The union, which represents 150 classifications including bus drivers, custodians, food workers and technology support, will still meet on Tuesday for a vigil to remember the lives lost from COVID-19.
The news of the agreement relieved many parents and students who were eager to send their middle and high school students back on Thursday, the first day middle and high school students are returning to campuses in over a year. About 58% students in the district have returned or are returning to in-person instruction.
This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 8:47 AM.