Help Classified LLESD Staff Stand United

Please consider a donation to keep our staff community strong and allow us to stand united in our belief that our students deserve the best!

We are the classified support staff of the Las Lomitas Elementary School District and members of CSEA (the California School Employees Association). We help support students every day, and we are deeply saddened at the negotiations impasse with our district which is causing a pending strike to loom.

Our sister union, LLEA (the Las Lomitas Education Association), has been working tirelessly for close to a year to negotiate a beneficial and mutually satisfactory salary and benefits contract for the 2023-24 school year. Staff have been working out of contract since the 2022-23 school year and without an agreed upon contract, have been unable to bargain for the current school year. The bargaining team has reached an impasse with the district, and while striking is a last resort, this is where we now find ourselves. Due to a “me too” clause in our contract, classified staff members receive the same percentage of salary and benefits increase the LLEA bargaining team negotiates for their members. This means they fight for us as well as themselves.

Should LLEA go on strike, classified members of CSEA have the legally protected right to perform a sympathy strike. We have the option to not cross the picket line and instead, support those coworkers who are fighting for us to have a fair cost of living adjustment. However, any staff participating in a sympathy strike will not receive their salary for the duration they are striking. Some of our coworkers and friends cannot financially endure the burden of losing their salary for even a day. That is why we are asking for donations: to help those of our organization who cannot afford to stand with their work community in solidarity.

Failing to invest in educators ultimately impacts the quality of education our students receive. In order to insist that our students deserve the very best, we will strike if we have to. We, the classified staff of Las Lomitas and La Entrada, work with and for our students every day. We drive the buses that take them to school; clean the classrooms they spend their days in; provide individualized support for those most at risk; nurse their injuries and illnesses; foster their interest in technology and reading; maintain their safety at recess; coordinate their schedules; champion their social and emotional well-being; and so much more.

We are greatly appreciative and deeply moved by any donation you can provide. All money collected will help to support classified staff in the event of a sympathy strike. No funds will be used for strike materials. Should the strike be canceled due to a mutual resolution of the contract, all funds will be returned. Otherwise, donations will help support staff who need assistance to make ends meet, allowing them the opportunity to stand united with LLEA in this time of adversity.

Thank you for your support, and if you can, please consider supporting our coworkers in LLEA through the same struggle. You can find their GoFundMe page here: Support LLEA Staff During Strike Hardship (https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-llea-staff-during-strike-hardship).

UPDATE: We've heard from many who are eager to donate, and we deeply appreciate your support. Your contributions are essential in helping us prepare for the strike and stand up for our educators. While some may prefer to wait until the strike is confirmed, please know that ALL donations will be refunded if the strike does not occur. If you're ready to contribute now, your support means the world to us. However, feel free to wait until after midnight on Tuesday if that's more comfortable. Thank you for standing with us during this critical time.