Beneath the details of contract language there are some simple principles of justice involved in our 1999 negotiations with the Laidlaw Company.

We want to state publicly, for ourselves, our employer, the San Francisco Unified School District, our friends and supporters, and for the people of San Francisco what we believe these principles to be.

Solidarity with out sisters and brothers who work for Laidlaw.

Different pay scales for different but closely related work and different contracts between Laidlaw and its employees must end. We want one contract and wage equity for all Laidlaw workers.

A decent wage that makes it possible for us to live a decent life in the city where we work or in another Bay Area community where we may choose to live.

Until cuts in hours, we were able to live a decent life in San Francisco or the immediate Bay Area. The effects of the two-hour cut in hours for veteran drivers and of new hires only being able to work six hours have been devastating for many of us. Among the effects: we've had to give up our homes either because we can't make mortgage or rent payments, transfer our children to different schools, take second jobs, forego family vacations and sending our kids to summer camp, give up automobiles and other possessions bought on credit because we could no longer make payments, draw down our savings and 401(k) retirement savings to pay for immediate needs, terminate contributions to our retirement plan, go deeper into debt, postpone retirement, and lots more.

Adequate safety, health care, pension, life insurance and other conditions.

Laidlaw ignores the safety of its workers (yard potholes which can't be seen in the dark hours when we come to work, dangerous equipment, inadequate equipment and supplies to perform our work). Laidlaw won't do simple things that would make our lives easier (like electronic paycheck deposit or deduction of disability insurance premiums) and pushes us to complete speed-up schedules that are dangerous for both the children and ourselves.

Respect for us as individuals and for our union.

Laidlaw has given our work to other workers, won't give all domestic partners funeral leave, delays payment and mixes wages with sick leave making it difficult for us to separate income at tax time, refuses to hire sufficient workers to do the work that must be done, and has lied to our union and tried to sneak work that was ours to lower paid non-union workers.