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UDW members count ballots. L-R Ngu Bihn Bui, Jennifer Bui Phan, Monique Tran, Ngoc Huong, Mania Adneloa, Maria Camacho, Barbara Handley, Sylvia Briseno, and Berenice Briseno
Yesterday, we made history.
In a word, this victory is monumental. It’s an affirmation of our right to bargain collectively. Never before has the public had the opportunity to weigh in on this basic right. Voters said NO to Issue 2 and YES to the right of public service workers to negotiate on issues such as health care, outsourcing, and staffing levels on nursing shifts, firefighting crews and in squad cars.
See how we won by watching our new video and share it with your friends and co-workers.
Working together, Democrats and Republicans, union and non-union workers, as well as teachers, bus drivers, firefighters, corrections officers, police officers, social service workers, nurses and public employees of all stripes sent a resounding message to the powerful forces on the far right who want to eliminate public services, reduce corporate taxes, and take away the rights of hard-working Americans: There’s a price to pay when you turn your back on the middle class.
We would not be celebrating this win if it weren’t for the tireless efforts of your AFSCME sisters and brothers in Ohio. What they accomplished is simply incredible.
The Main Street movement that started in Madison, landed in Ohio, and is now sweeping the country should send shivers down the spines of anti-worker politicians in cities and towns and statehouses across America. The people who work on Main Street — who plow our roads, tend to the sick and protect our communities — will not allow themselves to be scapegoats for the economic crisis created by Wall Street greed.
This victory confirms what we have always known: Working families will rise up, organize, and make our voices heard when lawmakers trample our rights in order to cushion millionaires and corporations. In fact, we want to tell you more about yesterday’s win in Ohio:
Make no mistake: Our victory in Ohio is sweet, but the fight to protect the public services and middle class that make our country so great is far from over. So today, we celebrate. But tomorrow we go right back to work — and we hope that we can count on you to continue standing up for the middle class.
by Cynthia McCabe | November 08, 2011
COLUMBUS, OHIO – What began here in the darkest days of winter ten months ago, on the steps of a statehouse whose doors were locked to its own citizens, ended Tuesday night in the stunning defeat of Gov. John Kasich’s anti-worker Senate Bill 5.
Ohio voters repealed the bill in a citizens’ veto, rejecting Senate Bill 5’s elimination of collective bargaining, its silencing of workers’ voices, and its direct attack on working, middle class families. Read the rest of this entry »
Concern is growing that there will be a 20 percent across the board cut in IHSS hours if the state fails to meet its revenue projections for this year. This cut would take effect on January 1, 2012.
We need to fight back and we need to begin NOW
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UDW is implementing a statewide advocacy and education campaign to fight the proposed 20 percent cut. For more information on how to get involved |
Key points to know:
Watch Video with budget background on ”Trigger Cuts”
Download Fact Sheet to share this information with others (English, pdf file)
Español | Vietnamese
Published by Sign-on San Diego
Automatic reductions kick in after Jan. 1 if state revenues lag
SACRAMENTO — State budget forecasts to be issued in the coming weeks have taken on a new sense of urgency this year, foreshadowing potential immediate and steep cuts to social services, schools and libraries throughout San Diego County.
Few programs outside of public safety that rely on state funding will be immune from reductions if those economic projections find that expected revenues will be far off the mark. If that’s the case, programs across the state could lose as much as $2.46 billion.
How the trigger would work Read more & Comment
LA Times, Tuesday November 2, 2011
Occupy Oakland: Unions provide food for thousands of protesters
UDW staff and volunteers support protesters.
Even protesters have to eat
A festive atmosphere reigned in Oakland’s Civic Center Plaza late Wednesday afternoon as workers from the United Food and Commercial Workers union carried tray after steaming tray of burgers, beans and rice in for a mass feast.
The union was one of many under the Alameda Labor Council umbrella that staged the giant foodfest for thousands of Occupy Oakland demonstrators, who called for a citywide “general strike” Wednesday to protest economic conditions. The line wound around the corner.
More Photos, LA Times: Occupy protests around the nation
Among those present were about 20 home healthcare workers from Placer County who had just arrived in two vans, donning “UDW Homecare Providers Union” shirts.
“It’s our unions we’re fighting for,” said Pamela Jones, 62.
Other members of UDW came from Modesto and Merced. Read Story & Comment on LA Times
This week’s Battleground Bulletin—sent from the campaign trail in Canton, Ohio—reports on We Are Ohio’s efforts to overturn SB 5, the upcoming special election in Iowa and this week’s local elections in Colorado.
With only one week left until Election Day, AFSCME member activists and our allies are making the final push to “Get Out The Vote” in Ohio and Iowa. Meanwhile, pro-worker candidates scored victories in municipal elections in Colorado on Tuesday.
The grassroots infrastructure AFSCME members have created in state battlegrounds across the nation will continue to pay dividends as we move into the critical state legislative sessions and electoral contests of 2012.
Breaking News
News from the front lines of our fight for workers rights:
WI: Proof that the recalls changed the political calculus in the Capitol
John Nichols, Capital Times, 11/01/11
MI: Families say they are being torn apart and blame the privatization of Michigan’s foster care system
Heather Catallo, WXYZ, 10/31/11
Former Marine’s injury spurs vets to join Occupy movement
Gary Strauss and Rick Hampson, USA Today, 11/02/11
How Rich Are the Richest? Here’s How
Tula Connell, AFL-CIO Now Blog, 11/01/11
Democrats Demand Boehner Avert Government Shutdown Threat
Brian Beutler, TPM Muckraker, 11/01/11
Exclusive: Romney Family Investment Group Partnered With Alleged Perpetrators Of $8 Billion Ponzi Scheme
Lee Fang, Think Progress, 11/01/11
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| Click here to see We Are Ohio’s latest TV ad: “Everyday Heroes.”Issue 2 would make it harder for our everyday heroes to protect and serve our communities. Issue 2 puts us all at risk. Vote NO on Issue 2. Click here to invite a friend to join the Battleground Bulletin list. |
UDW is the only union in CA that EXCLUSIVELY represents home care providers.
Check out our calendar to find Provider Appreciation activities in your county.
At UDW we know that a care provider’s job doesn’t end at 5:00 PM
In honor of all that homecare providers do to support their clients, UDW is proud to be part of the nationwide recognition of our hard working members.
National Family Caregiver Month is a time to thank, support, educate, celebrate and advocate for the fifty million plus caregivers across this country.
Many home care providers must give up work hours or even leave another profession to look after a loved one.
Home Care is a profession in its own right. Read the rest of this entry »
New American Media, November 1, 2011
Photo: California’s plan to shut about 300 Adult Day Health Care Centers means Alejandro Valdez and his mother, Maria, shown above, could be split apart. One qualifies for alternative placement, but the other doesn’t. (Image: Tony Chavez/Eastern Group Publications, Inc.)
LOS ANGELES – Each week, Alejandro Alvarez, a life-long resident of El Sereno, Calif., and his 73-year-old mother, Maria Alvarez, look forward to the arrival of a handicapped-equipped shuttle van that will free them for a short while from the confines of their mundane lives.
Separate vans drop each of them several days a week at a state-funded Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) center, where they participate in activities with friends, exercise and receive much needed therapies.
But the State of California plans to end Medicaid funding (called MediCal in California) for all of its ADHC centers on Dec. 1. So 48-year-old Alejandro — partially paralyzed after suffering his fifth stroke just three months ago — anticipates he’ll be forced to spend a lot of time sitting in front of the TV “feeling lazy and bored.” Read More
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
#184-2011 – OCTOBER 31, 2011 - MONDAY
California Budget Crisis:
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES WILL HOLD PUBLIC STAKEHOLDER MEETING AND WEBINAR ON NOVEMBER 2ND WEDNESDAY 09:00 – 10:00 AM TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON MEDI-CAL PROVIDER RATE REDUCTIONS
Stakeholder Meeting Open To Public – Seating at 300 Seat Auditorium in Sacramento on First Come First Served Basis – Registration Needed For People Wishing To Participate Via Webinar - Limited Spaces for Webinar Read the rest of this entry »
Thursday, October 13th, in Bakersfield; the Kern, Inyo, and Mono Central Labor Council and allies held one of hundreds of demonstrations across the country during a week of actions with the theme ‘America Wants to Work.’ Clcik here to learn more about the AFL-CIO’s America Wants to Work action plan.
To join us for activities in your area contact your local UDW office, or check our Event Calendar Read the rest of this entry »
