United Domestic Workers of America/AFSCME, AFL-CIO
is a labor union founded in 1979 to represent domestic workers, home attendants, and in-home care workers.  These are the dedicated people who cook, clean, and provide domestic chores and personal care to the elderly, blind and disabled - those who are too sick, frail, or disadvantaged to care for themselves.  California provides these services to income-eligible individuals through a program called In Home Supportive Services (IHSS), which is designed to be a cost effective, more personal, alternative to nursing homes.

History
United Domestic Workers of America (UDW) was inspired by Cesar Chavez, who recruited and trained its leaders and planted in them the seed to build the domestic workers movement. UDW is the first known labor union founded exclusively to represent domestics and other home care workers. (Read letter from United Farm Workers President to UDW that documents the historic relationship between UDW and Cesar Chavez.) With its founding, UDW became only the third union in American labor history to be founded by blacks or Latinos. The Sleeping Car Porters Union by A. Phillip Randolph and the United Farm Workers Union by Cesar Chavez were the first two such history-making efforts.

UDW has focused on IHSS home attendants. This work force is 90% female, 25% black, 35% Latina, 9% Asian, 1% Native American, and 30% White. The majority are middle-aged. In many cases they are single Heads of Households.

The UDW constitution preamble expresses with poignancy why a union of domestic workers is so desperately needed:

We have cleaned the living quarters, cooked the food and raised the children of millions of people throughout this country and the world but have not had sufficient housing or food for our children. While industrial and almost all other workers living and working in one place have joined together and grown stronger we have been isolated, scattered, and hindered from uniting our forces... But despite our isolations, our sufferings, our exploitation, our injuries and total misuse, we remain undaunted and determined to build our union as a bulwark against future mistreatment...

• Won state budget appropriations to provide California IHSS workers with the first ever statewide cost of living raises for four straight budget years during 1983 through 1986.
  
  
• Passed legislation to improve standards and reform IHSS home care agency contract programs affecting the bidding process, employee compensation requirements, reducing contract turnover and improving service continuity to IHSS consumers.
  
  
• From 1980-1989, won collective bargaining representation, wage increases and health insurance coverage for IHSS workers in fifteen different counties.
  
  
• Passed Senate Bill 412 (Greene) in 1987, which capped the counties’ escalating IHSS share of cost. As a result of this bill, county IHSS programs, home care worker wages and client services were dramatically stabilized, thousands of jobs were saved and the IHSS entitlement was preserved.
  
  
• Operates a non-profit home care service center that each year feeds over 7,200 people (2,495 families); clothes 340 families; represents over 300 seniors, individuals with disabilities and home care workers at IHSS Administrative hearings; operates a food bank for low income individuals; and runs successful welfare-to-work and community services training programs.

In 1994, affiliated with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). AFSCME International President Gerald McEntee, Ken Msemaji, and Fahari Jeffers sign affiliation charter.

• Successfully organized IHSS Individual Provider workers in twelve different counties within a two-year period from 1997 through 1999.
  
  
• UDW wrote, sponsored and won enactment in July, 1999 of landmark legislation (AB 1682) requiring every county to establish an IHSS employer of record and guaranteeing 200,000 IHSS home care workers in the State of California the right to collective bargaining.
  
  
• Established consumer rights to majority representation IHSS Advisory Boards in every county and the right of consumers to train their own home care provider.
  
  
• June 2000: UDW/AFSCME and SEIU resolve their differences, including jurisdictional disputes, and go the extra mile to form a partnership for all of California's home care workers structured in a manner whereby each union is vested in each other's success.
  
  
• July 2000: UDW/AFSCME and SEIU won $107 million new state dollars and an additional $150 million in federal funds to cover pay increases and health insurance for home care workers.
  
  
• October 2001: UDW Wins historic election when unit of 12,000 San Diego County home care workers votes by 91% for UDW representation marking the largest union election in the country that year and the first UDW county to implement the employer of record.
  
  

Workers rally in Sacramento, June 2004, to protest the Governors proposed budget cuts. Photo by Pedro Silva

• UDW Convention unanimously approves affiliation with NUHHCE, the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees 1199, giving UDW a national voice, a national platform and making UDW a national home care workers union.
  
  
• January 2002: Orange and Butte Counties adopt the employer of record ordinances creating an IHSS Public Authority for 6,500 and 2,000 home care workers respectively; Santa Barbara and Nevada Counties adopt the first two ordinances for 1,300 and 600 workers taking a major step toward union elections and collective bargaining.
  
  
• February 2002: After three months of intense negotiations UDW wins contract with the San Diego Public Authority - 12,000 home care workers will get 26% wage increase, health insurance, a wage re-opener, and unit-wide agency shop.
  
  
• March 2003: AB632 introduced by Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe authorizes Workers Compensation for IHSS employees. Also, SB936 introduced by Senator Martha Escutia would provide $1 million to pay home care workers while taking care of their client while in a hospital or nursing facility for less than 30 days.
  
  
• April 2003: Governor Gray Davis appoints UDW Secretary-Treasurer Fahari Jeffers to the California Community Colleges Governing Board.
  
  
• June 2003: AB1470 passes the Assembly by a 4-31 vote. Introduced by Assemblyman Juan Vargas the bill gives home care workers the right to seek wage and benefit improvements through a local ballot initiative, if counties do not bargain in good faith.
  
  
• July 2003: California Senator John Burton co-authored the State Senate's version of AB1470, the Vargas Right-to-Vote measure.
  
  
• October 2003: UDW's 11th Constitutional Convention was held Oct 9-12 at the Radisson Hotel in Visalia California.
  
  
• November 2003: Riverside County approved the first Public Authority union contract for 8,450 workers, with a 20% wage increase, first time medical benefits, and a wall-to-wall agency shop provision.
  
  
• December 2003: The Riverside contract was ratified by a 96% margin. The agency shop provision was also ratified by almost 90% for 8,500 workers.
  
  
• May 2004: Intense lobbying and protest rally's on the part of UDW, other unions, and advocacy organizations stop Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger from cutting the Residual Program that provides care and jobs for thousands of Californians on the IHSS program.

• July 2005: Once again, Intense lobbying, budget analysis, and protest rally's on the part of UDW, other unions, and advocacy organizations stop Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger from cutting the IHSS program back to minimum wage and eliminating medical coverage for home care workers.

• September 2005: UDW wins a second contract for Riverside County home care workers.  The Riverside contract was approved approved by 93% of the vote.

• September 2005: UDW negotiates a first time contract with Merced County.

All of labor recognizes that the future of the movement rests with home care workers and other low-income service industry workers. Today, the labor movement heralds the efforts of those who seek to organize and represent this work force, now numbering 750,000 throughout the nation.

But, in the beginning, it was the brilliant, compassionate vision of Cesar Chavez (founder of the United Farm Workers ) and the UDW that led the way and proved that it could be done. No one, other than Cesar Chavez and UDW, believed it was possible to organize home attendants, home care and domestic workers. United Domestic Workers of America are the pioneers of this movement. Their trail blazing efforts and sacrifices laid the foundation for others to stand on their shoulders and see the mountaintop!