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Stockton Unified trades workers urge board to respect and staff skilled maintenance roles
Summary
At public comment March 25, essential trades representatives and a district plumber urged Stockton Unified trustees to value skilled trades, hire qualified journeymen and hold management accountable for workmanship that affects student safety.
At the March 25 Stockton Unified board meeting, members of the district’s essential trades spoke during public comment to press trustees to treat maintenance and trades staff with greater respect and to ensure qualified staffing.
Luis Burrows, speaking for a group identified in the transcript as CSC 821, said trades staff do “the most basic essential work for the district,” from repairing lights to fixing HVAC systems, and argued that the district must respect and value that work because it undergirds student safety and learning.
Steven Gregg, a plumber who said he has served Stockton Unified since 2017, told the board that the district’s management has devalued skilled plumbing work and sometimes hires staff who are not journeyman-qualified. Gregg said that substandard work risks hazards such as flooding, mold and burns, and asked the board to hold management accountable and ensure enough qualified plumbers are available to keep facilities safe.
Trustees did not respond with a policy vote during public comment but the remarks were later discussed in the context of facilities and personnel items on the consent and action calendars. The board thanked speakers and acknowledged the contribution of trades staff to district operations.
