Bill
SJR 2
Urges federal action to guarantee classified school employees livable wages, affordable health care, 16 weeks paid family/medical leave, and strong workplace protections.
NOTE: The source packet contains multiple unrelated “SJR 2” documents from other states and some conflicting timeline entries. This summary focuses on the text that is consistently repeated in the provided materials — a California joint resolution (authored by Senator Cortese) concerning the rights of “classified workers” in public education — and notes procedural inconsistencies at the end.
SJR 2 is a non‑binding joint resolution urging the President and Congress of the United States to enact federal legislation that guarantees a package of workplace rights and protections for classified school employees. The resolution frames these measures as necessary to ensure stable, safe school workplaces and livable, competitive compensation for frontline school staff.
The resolution calls for federal law that would guarantee that classified workers:
- Receive a livable, competitive wage and have access to high‑quality, affordable health care with de minimis (minimal) employee cost.
- Are entitled to 16 weeks of paid family and medical leave.
- Have paid leave for all planned and unforeseen school closures (weather closures, professional development days, other short‑term closures).
- Have access to meaningful, free or affordable professional growth and development during paid working hours, with career advancement pathways.
- Are provided sufficient resources and supplies (including up‑to‑date technology) and appropriate training and personal protective equipment.
- Have representation in organizations that set policies affecting their working conditions and receive notification/opportunity for input when schools introduce electronic monitoring, data systems, algorithms, or AI — plus training on those technologies.
- Have adequate notice and opportunity to participate, when appropriate and permitted by law, in IEPs, behavior intervention team meetings, and similar pupil‑related meetings.
- Work in safe, healthy environments, free from recognized hazards, with appropriate staffing levels to allow safe and effective job performance.
- Receive timely notice about employment duration and have employment contracts with automatic renewal at expiration and just‑cause termination protections (rather than at‑will termination).
- Have access to anti‑retaliation reporting processes for workplace concerns.
- Benefit from employers’ good‑faith collective bargaining: timely contracts, protections against replacement workers (“scabs”) during strikes, and no lockouts.
The resolution also directs transmission of copies to the President, Vice President, congressional leaders and California’s federal delegation, the Governor, Attorney General, and the author.
Primary author: Senator Cortese (text references Cortese). Other sponsor listings in the packet are inconsistent and appear to include sponsors of unrelated SJR 2 measures; verify sponsorship on the official bill page.
If you want, I can: (1) pull and cite the official bill page/status from the California legislative information site, (2) produce a short memo comparing this resolution’s asks to existing federal law (e.g., FMLA, federal wage/health protections), or (3) draft stakeholder impacts (cost/implementation considerations) for school districts.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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