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Sacramento School Custodians Prepare to Strike

Custodial and food service workers from Sacramento Unified School District (SCUSD), who are members of the Sacramento, California, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) chapter, are preparing to strike on April 22 and 23, KCRA-TV reports.

Officials with SEIU—which represents 1,900 workers including custodians, bus drivers, instructional aides, and food service workers—are in labor negotiations with the school district. However, negotiations are at a stalemate as SEIU members are concerned about their safety working during a pandemic. They are also requesting affordable childcare as they return to in-person classes this week. 

“The main thing we want is for the distancing to be universal, for the N-95 mask to be fitted. And, we need to figure a way to get daycare for our kids,” Karla Faucett, SEIU chapter president, told KCRA.

SCUSD said in a statement, “The main concerns are not health and safety, as framed by SEIU, but instead center on the amount of stipends their members will receive and whether their members will receive child care provided by the district.”

The Sacramento City Teachers Association voted to support SEIU workers with a sympathy strike.