In Virginia, Fighting for a Living Wage

When about 75 members of Virginia’s Sussex Education Association joined parents, elected officials, and community leaders at a recent living wage rally outside a building where the county school board was meeting, a floodlight brought in for the rally fizzled out. So bus driver Jerry Parham grabbed a flashlight to ensure the poverty-level wages of his fellow education support professionals (ESPs) would still be brought to light.

“We’re advocating for employees who have worked diligently for years and for fear of losing their jobs have kept silent,” says Parham.

Ralliers presented the board with a salary proposal calling for fair wages. Supported by a $12,000 ESP grant from NEA, the Sussex rally could soon be replicated statewide. The Virginia Education Association is holding its first-ever living wage conference in May, which will help ESPs plan campaigns in their own communities.

To learn more about living wage campaigns, visit nea.org/pay where you can send an e-card featuring Parham and his story to friends and colleagues.