Fighting for Unemployment Insurance for K-12 Support Staff

Many K-12 support staff in Illinois receive no wages during the summer months when schools are closed.

The SEIU Local 73 sponsored bill, HB1654, would amend the Unemployment Insurance Act and provide that, subject to appropriation, school districts would be eligible to receive unemployment insurance aid. This would allow workers to collect unemployment insurance over the summer to help make ends meet.

“This is a genuine struggle for many of our members who are among the lowest paid workers in their school districts,” said Dian Palmer, President of SEIU Local 73. “When schools are closed, they are out of work and without a paycheck. The challenge of finding temporary work for a couple of months each year is difficult. This bill would provide our members with some economic security during those months before the start of a new school year.”

Thousands of Local 73 members submitted witness slips in support of the bill which secured its passage from the Illinois Labor & Commerce Committee. The bill now awaits action in the Wage Policy Study Subcommittee.