Urging the School District of Philadelphia and the School Reform Commission to return to the bargaining table with UNITE HERE! Local 634.

WHEREAS, The members of UNITE HERE! Local 634, the cafeteria workers and student safety staff, previously referred to as noon time aides, play a vital role in the care of the children of the School the District of Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, The members supervise the children in the hallways and lunch rooms, do peer mediation and defuse potential trouble situations, in addition to cooking and serving the children breakfast and lunch; and

WHEREAS, These members perform the duties mentioned above but also serve as school moms and dads, warmly greeting children in the morning, wiping noses and sometimes tears, tying shoes, and even sometimes using their own limited resources to buy lunch or even a coat for a child who does not have; and

WHEREAS, Almost seventy five percent of the membership makes less than $12,000 a year, have no major medical benefits and only last year began to make the City's previous living wage of $10.88; and

WHEREAS, These members, and the student safety staff in particular, have continued to work hard because they care for the children, and have been source of stability in these trying times in the School District; and

WHEREAS, Our teachers are the head of our schools, and these school moms and dads are the heart of our schools, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the School District of Philadelphia and the School Reform Commission return to the bargaining table and not only settle the expired contract with these essential members but ensure that the terms of a new contract would lift the members who serve in such a crucial role out of poverty.

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