PPE for PPS Custodians and Nutritionists
Donation protected
The goal of this project is to provide each of these 500 essential workers with 20 quality KN95 masks and bring attention to the inequities they have faced the entire pandemic.
If you would like to help you can:
-Donate and share this information in your networks
-Join us at our upcoming rallies, check the SEIULocal503 Facebook page for events.
-Call PPS Deputy Superintendent- [phone redacted] and tell her to respect, protect, and pay for the essential work custodians and nutritionists do.
Our students need safe schools! Their custodians and nutritionists have not been provided adequate PPE by their school district the entire pandemic. Custodians and Nutritionists represent the lowest paid staff in Portland Public Schools. A starting wage of $14 an hour $28,000 dollars a year is not a living wage and it is disrespectful to ask these essential workers to provide their own masks.
In comparison our superintendent makes well over $300,000 dollars a year, more than 10 X the amount of our frontline workers.
Who has been risking their health and safety more during this pandemic?
In 2001 PPS had around 450 custodians and now in 2021 we have a little over 300. Custodians are woefully understaffed to address the needs of reopening in a pandemic. On a national custodian scale of 1-5 (1 being the best) our buildings are staffed at a 4, which means buildings are not cleaned adequately. Teachers and students are being asked to wipe down desks during their abbreviated in-person instruction to make up for the shortfall.
Nutritionists have been asking for $1,500 of hazard pay which would have been provided for free of charge to the school district if someone from district leadership had been willing to fill out the paperwork for federal work-share dollars.
Our nutritionists (a mostly female lead workforce) endured Portland firestorms, ice storms, and multiple power outages while still coming to work to feed PPS children at risk to their own health and safety with Covid 19. They have also been subject to reduced work hours.
SEIU503 which represents PPS Custodians and Nutritionists continues to have its asks denied in bargaining which includes:
Hazard Pay: For nutrition service workers, the lowest paid PPS group, and the only ones who’ve had their hours and wages cut during this pandemic. This majority female workforce has put themselves at risk to feed the community and deserve respect.
Custodians: Enough union staff to clean and disinfect buildings. PPS’s current “Moderately Dingy” standard is not good enough, and hiring contractors is not the solution.
Quarantine Pay: Staff who need to isolate to avoid spreading COVID should get quarantine pay so they won’t have to go to work sick to pay their bills.
Please help us tell the governor and district to respect our essential custodians and nutritionists by helping us raise the 10,000 dollars needed to purchase every PPS Custodian and Nutritionist a set of KN95 masks that will help keep them safe in our schools.
#RespectAllPPSStaff
If you would like to help you can:
-Donate and share this information in your networks
-Join us at our upcoming rallies, check the SEIULocal503 Facebook page for events.
-Call PPS Deputy Superintendent- [phone redacted] and tell her to respect, protect, and pay for the essential work custodians and nutritionists do.
Our students need safe schools! Their custodians and nutritionists have not been provided adequate PPE by their school district the entire pandemic. Custodians and Nutritionists represent the lowest paid staff in Portland Public Schools. A starting wage of $14 an hour $28,000 dollars a year is not a living wage and it is disrespectful to ask these essential workers to provide their own masks.
In comparison our superintendent makes well over $300,000 dollars a year, more than 10 X the amount of our frontline workers.
Who has been risking their health and safety more during this pandemic?
In 2001 PPS had around 450 custodians and now in 2021 we have a little over 300. Custodians are woefully understaffed to address the needs of reopening in a pandemic. On a national custodian scale of 1-5 (1 being the best) our buildings are staffed at a 4, which means buildings are not cleaned adequately. Teachers and students are being asked to wipe down desks during their abbreviated in-person instruction to make up for the shortfall.
Nutritionists have been asking for $1,500 of hazard pay which would have been provided for free of charge to the school district if someone from district leadership had been willing to fill out the paperwork for federal work-share dollars.
Our nutritionists (a mostly female lead workforce) endured Portland firestorms, ice storms, and multiple power outages while still coming to work to feed PPS children at risk to their own health and safety with Covid 19. They have also been subject to reduced work hours.
SEIU503 which represents PPS Custodians and Nutritionists continues to have its asks denied in bargaining which includes:
Hazard Pay: For nutrition service workers, the lowest paid PPS group, and the only ones who’ve had their hours and wages cut during this pandemic. This majority female workforce has put themselves at risk to feed the community and deserve respect.
Custodians: Enough union staff to clean and disinfect buildings. PPS’s current “Moderately Dingy” standard is not good enough, and hiring contractors is not the solution.
Quarantine Pay: Staff who need to isolate to avoid spreading COVID should get quarantine pay so they won’t have to go to work sick to pay their bills.
Please help us tell the governor and district to respect our essential custodians and nutritionists by helping us raise the 10,000 dollars needed to purchase every PPS Custodian and Nutritionist a set of KN95 masks that will help keep them safe in our schools.
#RespectAllPPSStaff
Organizer
Beyoung Yu
Organizer
Portland, OR