Child-care workers and teachers on strike at Lacey preschool over wages, other issues
About a dozen workers were on strike Monday at a preschool in Lacey, continuing an effort they launched Friday to improve wages and training.
The child-care workers, who could be seen on Martin Way east of Marvin Road on Monday, are on strike against Cadence Academy preschool, said Rose Bayer, who said she works in a “float” position at the school.
She spoke to The Olympian on Sunday and was back at the strike Monday morning. The plan was to strike all day, she said. The school is at 8911 Martin Way E.
A representative of the Arizona-based operator of preschools and elementary schools touched base with The Olympian Monday morning, but didn’t immediately follow up with reaction to the strike. According to the website for the Cadence Academy Preschool in Lacey, it provides child-care, preschool and other programs for children 6 weeks old to 10 years of age.
Bayer, 21, who has worked at the school for about a year, said she earns $16 per hour, just 26 cents per hour more than Washington state’s minimum wage of $15.74 per hour. When she was hired, she claims she was told the school raises tuition every six months so that those increases can be passed on to staff in the form of higher wages, but that hasn’t happened, she said.
Now, float staff and other assistants want an increase to $18 per hour, lead teachers and the school’s cook want a raise to $19 per hour, plus they want money for classroom budgets — rather than paying for those materials are out of their own pockets — and more job training.
“They are not well-equipped to do their jobs,” Bayer said.
She estimated the size of the school’s staff at 25 people who work with 80-100 children, including those with special needs.
Bayer also claimed that two employees of color are paid only a penny over the state’s minimum wage, and that the only way to currently get a raise is to threaten to quit.
Cadence operates seven preschools in Thurston County, according to its website. Employees at the other schools are not on strike, Bayer said.
This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 1:27 PM.
