She said it is not uncommon for workers to encounter violence and injuries when working with the students. Many of the injuries could be mitigated, if not avoided, she said, if there were more trauma- and crisis-trained paraprofessionals on staff. We re just asking for a safer work environment, and in order to get that we need a fair contract with fair wages to retain and attract more paraprofessionals, she said.
The employees certified their union in October 2019 and have been in negotiations with management since January 2020.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Schlueter said, has only magnified the dangers of the job and exacerbated the need for more trained employees.