Independent Providers mail their time cards to county offices because the program is administered by the county. So UDW has to negotiate with the county for increased wages and benefits. Those of us who were involved in months of tough negotiations know there would not have been any increased wages or benefits provided by the county without collective bargaining by UDW. We simply cannot achieve this progress as individuals.

But every union member and their clients should know that the “In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program” is run by the county because State law says they have to do it. Every union member and client should know that about 50% of the wages for home care workers comes from the State treasury and 50% of the money for our wages comes from the federal government. The county pays a small portion (approx. 17%) of the cost at first, but the county is paid back their share later on, out of state sales tax revenue. The money that comes from the state comes only as long as the politicians in Sacramento agree that “home care” is something they should spend tax money on.

UDW doesn’t just bargain for wages and benefits they also talk to the politicians in Sacramento – Democrat, Republican and Independent – to convince them this is a good program and they should continue to pay for it with state tax dollars, in good times and in bad times.

As individuals we would not be able to represent ourselves the way that UDW can when they speak for thousands and thousands of home care workers and thousands and thousands of their clients. As a group we can have a lot of influence because many of us are going to vote at election time. Your union dues support a lot of hard work when it comes to getting wage increases and making sure the money keeps coming from Sacramento.

But it doesn’t stop there. What about the federal government’s share of
our wages and benefits? Well, UDW pays about $8.00 a month for every union member, (even those members who only pay UDW dues of $10.30 a month) to be part of a bigger national union that represents millions and millions of workers. Our national union, AFSCME, has offices in Washington D.C., right where the federal government goes to work every day. AFSCME represents a lot of voters so they have a lot of influence with the federal government. They work hard to make sure the federal politicians keep sending money to California to pay for the wages we get for providing in home supportive services.

If you work for a company like a grocery store and are lucky enough
to be represented, your union only has to negotiate with one employer.
UDW has to negotiate with the county that runs the program, the state
government that set up the program and pays 50% of our wages and the
federal government that contributes the other 50%. That is a lot of work
to do with the dues that we pay, and our union, UDW, does an incredibly
good job. In recent years they have had to fight endlessly to save us from a governor that wants to
reduce the state’s contribution to the program and cut all providers back to minimum wage. Given the current economic crisis, this fight will be particularly difficult in the coming year.

Without our union representing us in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.,
politicians could cancel or reduce this program overnight and that would be a disaster
for the disabled, the elderly and those who provide them with care. We
need to help the union help us by being involved in any way we can, and
keep our union strong so they are able to continue what they do so well.

Read detail of the currently proposed cuts

What has happened in historic and recent fights to save IHSS