Blue Island Community Rallies for Clean Schools and the Reinstatement of Outsourced Custodians

The rainwater on the sidewalks outside of Nathan Hale Primary School rippled with the steps of the community members demanding safety and cleanliness in their schools on Wednesday night, schools which have been left with mold, insects and dirty bathroom facilities, according to Blue Island teachers.

Cook County School District #130, the district that runs Blue Island schools, has not just been unresponsive; it was the district that outsourced the 31 Blue Island custodial jobs in the first place, leading to the current situation.

The community is demanding that the school district reinstates the outsourced custodians and recognizes their collective bargaining agreement with SEIU Local 73, especially with National Custodial Workers Day coming up on October 2.

“We are very heartbroken,” said Vicky Diaz, one of the outsourced custodians and SEIU Local 73 members. “All we want is to come back and keep your schools clean and safe for everyone.”

Blue Island educators recently filed an Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) complaint, and in the release, the Blue Island Education Association President put the district on blast: “Our schools are so unbelievably dirty they are literally hazardous to our health and our students’ health,” President Sherri Roozee-Sera said.

Along with Diaz, SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer also spoke at the Illinois Education Association rally.

“We were told outsourcing is the answer; look at the results,” President Palmer said. She also said SEIU Local 73 has filed charges with the IELRB, asking for an injunction of the outsourcing.

Speakers at the rally said that their respective organizations will continue to pressure the school district until the custodian’s jobs are reinstated and the schools are clean.