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Kansas City Today

A Kansas City Public Schools union has some grievances

By Nomin Ujiyediin,
Anna Schmidt
Published November 29, 2023 at 8:16 AM CST
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In a matter of months, the union representing maintenance, custodial and cafeteria workers at Kansas City Public Schools went from a cordial relationship with the district to filing seven class-action grievances. What's caused the tension?

Kansas City Public Schools’ SEIU Local 1 union has filed grievances that claim the district has delayed pay hikes and left other contract promises unfulfilled. Workers expressed frustration at a board meeting in mid-November, emphasizing issues like understaffing and inadequate training.

On KCUR's Up To Date, host Steve Kraske sat down with Maria Benevento, education reporter at the Kansas City Beacon, to hear why workers feel the district isn't supporting them.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Anna Schmidt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

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Kansas City Today Education fundingeducationKansas City Public SchoolsUnionsKansas City Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS)
Nomin Ujiyediin
As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
See stories by Nomin Ujiyediin
Anna Schmidt
Anna Schmidt is the fall 2023 intern for KCUR Studios. She recently graduated from Kansas State University, where she was the Opinions Desk Editor for the Collegian student newspaper and took over the role of podcast host. You can email her at anna.schmidt@kcur.org.
See stories by Anna Schmidt
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