PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Thousands of school support staff across Palm Beach County took part in a silent protest last week wearing black or black ribbons to call attention to what they say is an urgent crisis: low pay, rising health insurance premiums, and the growing financial strain of simply trying to live and work in South Florida.
The protest was all part of a larger mobilization effort scheduled outside the Palm Beach County School District Headquarters during the next board meeting, scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m.
From bus drivers and custodians to cafeteria workers and mechanics, these non-instructional employees said they are the backbone of the school system.
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For Carmen Crawford, the day starts long before the sun comes up. She's been a school district bus driver for 25 years and makes the daily commute from Belle Glade.
"I wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning, I'm here by 3:45," Crawford said. "My rent, where I live at in Belle Glade, is more than my paycheck."
Crawford, like many others, says she loves her job — but it's becoming harder and harder to survive.
"If we have one day off and it's coming up on the pay period, it looks like you been off a whole month. That's just how bad your paycheck looks," she said.
David Weinstock, a mechanic for the school district, said his financial reality forced him to move back in with his mother — even though he works long hours and picks up extra shifts.
"I start driving at 5:45, I end at 9:45. I'm driving, because they need help in the morning," Weinstock said. "Then I come back at 11:30 and work till 8."
The workers have been operating under a contract that expired in December, then in early April the union and district reached an impasse.
Lead organizer Irwin Cineus said that support staff making an average of $28,000 a year would be paying the same insurance costs as higher-paid employees.
He added that the union initially requested an 11% raise, when the district said they didn't have the authority to approve it, the union countered with a $1 per hour raise and a $500 bonus to offset rising insurance premiums.
"The district responded with a counteroffer of 80 cents and a $150 bonus," Cineus said. "We're still not going to be where we need to be at, but when we have folks making less than $28,000 a year — tell me how you live on that in South Florida."
In a statement, the Palm Beach County School District said it "greatly values the important work of our non-instructional staff as important members of Team Palm Beach."
The district said it has provided consistent raises to SEIU employees over the past three years — including 5% in 2024, 3.5% in 2023, and 11.9% in 2022 — along with yearly bonuses of either 3% or $1,500.
District officials also said they began requesting dates for negotiations in October 2024, but the union was not available to begin bargaining until January 2025.
"The School District relies on market data to make pay adjustments and remain as competitive as our budget allows," the statement reads. "Routinely, the School Board has advocated for increased state funding in an effort to boost pay for our employees."
While a larger demonstration is planned outside the Palm Beach County School District building union leaders said they're not giving up.
"We're not asking for too much," said Crawford. "Just enough to live."
