WE CAN’T DO IT ALONE
Doug Moore, UDW Executive Director
Doug Moore, UDW Executive Director
Video: Doug Moore at solidarity rally April 4
These are critical times for UDW home care providers and the people we serve.
At the state level, we were able to stop the massive, across-the-board budget cuts to IHSS initially proposed by Gov. Brown in January. But we are by no means out of danger. As the report on the state budget on page ( ) of this issue of the Caregiver explains, we will be faced with cuts to the program next January unless the state can come up with enough revenue to prevent them.
At the local level, several county Boards of Supervisors have proposed unilaterally rolling back provider wages that had been approved in our contracts with the counties. Santa Barbara County has refused to extend its contract with ADDUS. And counties like Stanislaus have created so-called ”anti-fraud” programs that have resulted in unwarranted threats and abuses to clients and providers alike.
UDW members are fighting back on every front. You have made your presence felt in Sacramento, with rallies at the Capitol and in the home districts of legislators, and with thousands of phone calls, emails and faxes urging the governor and the Legislature to support IHSS. Believe me; this has made a real difference.
You are also taking the fight to the counties. In Santa Barbara, Stanislaus, Merced, and all across the state, you’ve packed Board of Supervisors meeting rooms to urge them to do the right thing and protect IHSS clients and providers. But we cannot do it alone.
At the state level, we work closely with the IHSS Coalition, which includes dozens of organizations and agencies that represent clients and providers. We need to do the same thing at the local level.
In late June, UDW organized two highly successful meetings in San Diego featuring noted civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton and AFSCME International’s Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders. These gentlemen have been traveling throughout the country to help fight the unprecedented attacks on working families and those they serve in Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, and many other states.
As their first order of business, Rev. Sharpton and Brother Saunders met with the leaders of San Diego’s community and faith-based organizations to enlist them in our cause.
That was because they understand–as we must–that this is not just a UDW struggle or a labor struggle. It is a community struggle and a moral struggle.
We must reach out to community organizations and faith-based groups who share our values. We simply cannot win without their support. It is just that simple.
So I urge you to spread the word in your communities about the work you do and how it benefits some of our most vulnerable citizens. You’ll be surprised at the friends you’ll find.
In Solidarity,
Doug Moore
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