seiu united long term care workers oct. 2010 newsletter | english

8/8/2019 SEIU United Long Term Care Workers Oct. 2010 Newsletter | English

1/8

SEIU United Long Term Care WorkersULTCWreport

October 20ULTCW

ULTCW members joined thousandsof Los Angeles area residentsin ghting to put America backtogether on the morning of October 2

MEMBERS ATTEND

"DEMAND CHANGE DAY

FOR ONE NATION AND GET

OUT THE VOTE IN NOV 2

ELECTIONS

ULTCW members will have theopportunit to rebuild California thisNovember at the ballot box. Ofcialvoter guide enclosed!

ULTCW MEMBER

VOTER GUIDE

(continued on page 4)(continued on page 2)

Responding to the needs of locafamilies and children during theeconomic downturn, ULTCW kickedoff the Labor Da weekend in Los

FRESH START FESTIVAL HELpS

FAMILIES GET READY

TO GO BACk TO SCHOOL

(continued on page 5

At the outset of this ear, we hada set of goals for ULTCW to reach.

Some were about challenges weexpected to face like the Governorsproposal to eliminate 87% of thein-home care services in the state.Others were about how we wantedto position ourselves in communitiesand with partner organiations tostart building a movement for socialand economic justicesuch as FreshStart and One Nation. Still otherswere about deepening the strengthof our union while cultivatingleadership opportunities, such as ourNursing Home organiing campaign,CA Primar campaign, NorthernCalifornia campaign and Leadership

Academ launch. And nall somethings we could not ignore the impact

oflike Arionas SB 1070 law.So now, in this last quarter of 2010,we are coming around the bend, asthe sa. And weve done all of thosethings. Its remarkable, actuall. Andweve managed to move that threatof 87% cuts to 3%. But were notnished. There is this thing calledElection Da coming. And weknow how vitall important theseraces are. From state legislatureto Congress, Attorne General toGovernor, we have a ver seriousstake in the outcome (see article onElections inside). And so, we must

build on all themomentum weve

created, draw onever bit of energand time we have,and complete thispart of our planwhich will allow for a fresh start for usall in 2011.In a speech this spring, I said thawe were on a Journe to Justice.Well, were not there et, but if wehad a GPS navigation sstem for it, think it would be eas to sa we areheaded in the right direction. Letskeep going.

By LAPHONzA BUTLER, PRESIDENT, SEIU ULTCW

pRESIDENT'S REpORT:STAyING WITH OUR PLAN


2/8

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SEIU ULTCW VOTER GUIDEIts Time To Rebuild California!

VOTENOVEMBER2ND

On November 2nd, we have the opportunity to rebuild California by electing a team of leaders whcan move our state forward while protecting long term care. Based on input from our members an

their record of support for working families, we recommend the following candidates

For a full list of endorsed candidates running for US Congress, California Board of Equalization,

California State Senate, and the California State Assembly, please visit www.SEIU-ULTCW.org.

SEIU CalIfornIa StatE CandIdatE EndorSEmEntS

KEY DATES:

LAST DAY TO REGISTER

TO VOTE: OCT. 18

SPECIAL NEW CITIZEN VOTER

REGISTRATION PERIOD:

OCT. 19 OCT. 26

LAST DAY TO REQUEST A

VOTER BY MAIL BALLOT:

OCT. 26

LAST DAY TO REQUEST AVOTER BY MAIL BALLOT IN

PERSON: NOV. 2

ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY,

NOV 2

(Polls will be open from 7:00 am to

8:00 pm)

Jerry Brown speaks with ULTCW members

KamalaHarriswalksadayintheshoesof

homecare

providerWendyKo


3/8

VOTER RESOURCE GUIDEIn order to rebuild California, its important that we all vote this

November. To help answer questions you may have and make you

aware of important dates and deadlines, weve put together the

following voter resource guide. I you have additional questions orneed assistance, please call the Secretary o State ofce

at (800) 345-8683 or visit www.sos.ca.gov.

HOW DO I REGISTER TO VOTE?If oure not alread registered to vote, ou have until October18,2010, to register to vote

in the November 2nd general election. your Voter Registration Form must be postmarked

b October 18th or delivered to the Department of Motor Vehicles or an National Voter

Registration Act designated agenc.

A voter registration form can be lled out online at the Secretar of State website

(www.sos.ca.gov) or picked up at our count elections ofce, librar, or U.S. Post Ofce.

HOW DO I VOTE BY MAIL?If ou are a registered voter and would prefer to vote-b-mail for the November 2nd election,

our application must be received b October26,2010. you can use the application printed on

our Sample Ballot that oull receive prior to the election, or ou can write our count electionsofce to request one.

IF IM A NEW CITIZEN, HOW DO I REGISTER TO VOTE?If ou become a new citien after October 18, 2010, ou can still vote in the November 2nd

general election b going to our count elections ofce no later than October26,2010, and

showing proof of citienship and declaring that ou have established residenc in California.

If ou became a new citien before October 18, 2010, simpl follow the regular voter

registration guidelines.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHERE TO VOTE?Not sure of where to vote on November 2nd? your polling location can be found on the

sample ballot ou receive in the mail or b contacting our count elections ofce. A listing of

Count Election Ofces can be found at http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_d.htm

For more information,

visit www.SEIU-ULTCW.or

ULTCW

LongTermCareUnited

Workers


4/8

for the One Nation California Demand Change Daat Los Angeles Cit College. The event, sponsoredb ULTCW along with doens of partners around thestate, was part of the One Nation Working TogetherMarch on Washington, which happened on the sameda. Man ULTCW members helped with the event,volunteering at the event itself or afterwards at the daof canvassing.

Speakers included local activists and One Nationpartners, including leaders from the NAACP, theimmigration rights movement, the LGBT communit,labor and more. Actors Dann Glover, Anne-MarieJohnson, Mike Farrell, and Valerie Harper, andentertainers Jennifer Johns and Tom Morello, theNightwatchman, also participated. Artist Derek Gores,whose work has been shown in various Californiagalleries, created a public interactive displa thatsmbolied unit and the struggles of todas economthrough its design as a collage of photos.

The events message was change, the change that we

voted for in 2008 and the change that we still hopewill come. Speakers spoke about their own personalstories, such as how the have been affected b theeconom, lost their home, dreamed of citienship andfought for a qualit education for their children. Thesestories emphasied that there is still work to be done toattain the hopeful change we voted for in 2008.

WorkingfortheChangein2008in2010

Speakers then focused on what members can do toensure that that kind of change will come, in otherwords how we can be the change. The encouraged

MEMBERS ATTEND DEMAND CHANGE DAY FOR

ONE NATION AND GET OUT THE VOTE IN NOV 2 ELECTIONS

(continued from page 1)

activism, engagement and, most importantl, workingto get out the vote in November and in 2012.

youve heard b now how hard times are. The struggles

folks are facing, folks of all stripes. And ouve lookedback on the sense of hope we felt two ears ago, saidLaphona Butler, President, ULTCW (United Long TermCare Workers). But are ou read to do somethingabout it? Are ou read to demand the change wevoted for?

(continued on page 8)

MY OBSERVATIONS FROM

THE CROSS COUNTRYONE NATION BLOGMOBILEB Jimmie Talor, ULTCW member and participant in theOne Nation California Blogmobile

Jimmie Talor, a memberof ULTCW, participatedin the One NationBlogmobile, a RV tripin which six Californiansdrove from Los Angelesto the One Nation march

in Washington, DC. Thestopped in Phoenix,Albuquerque, OklahomaCit, Memphis and

Atlanta to speak to average Americans about their experiencesand wrote about them for a One Nation blog. Along the wa,the focused on immigration, homelessness, alternativeenergies, education and civil rights.

I went on this trip to tr to make a difference at the One NationMarch. I trul believe we need to pull together as a whole tomake a difference, and I felt the March would be a good placeto start. It will hopefull mean a difference to our homeless,

our immigrants, our schools and the working people tring tofeed their kids.But in the end, the journe itself was just as meaningful asthe march. Meeting people in person along the wa is somuch different than seeing peoples problems on television.When ou are there, ou reall can see what people are goingthrough and it reall affects ou more. you reall see thatpeople are going through the same things that ou are.

(continued on page 8)


5/8

Angeles b hosting the Fresh Start Working FamiliesCommunit Festival a free event that drew an estimated6,000 people.

The festival was meant to give families a fresh start forthe school ear, for the communit and for Californiaseconom. Volunteers provided children with back-to-school backpacks and school supplies, along with haircutsfor bos and nail painting for girls. The event also featuredhealth screenings, a picnic-stle lunch and a variet ofcolorful, engaging famil entertainment. All free of charge.

There are thousands of families who have never beenmore in need of getting a fresh start than there are toda,said Laphona Butler, President, ULTCW And what bettertime than the Labor Da weekend to let them know thatthere not alone and that were here for them.

Speakers at the event included U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters,SEIU President Mar Ka Henr, who served as the GrandMarshall for the

event, and LA CitCouncil member EricGarcetti. All of thesespeakers also pitchedin alongside staff andvolunteers handingout backpacks toschool children,among other duties.

Earlier in the da, the union hosted a members-onl politicaforum attended b Democratic gubernatorial candidateJerr Brown and ve aspiring California Assemblmembers: Ricardo Lara, Holl Mitchell, Das Williams, Linda

Jones, and Darcel Woods.

The idea for the Fresh Start Festival came in responsto the economic struggles facing California families. InLA Count alone, 655,000 residents are without work pushing the unemploment rate to 13.4 percent. Ove2.7 million live without health insurance and therefore gowithout an form of preventative care. And the publicschool sstem is facing a $640 million decit leavingchildren and classrooms without the supplies the need tobe successful.

Another goal of the festival was to show a new side of theunion to our neighbors in Los Angeles. Because while ourmembers know ULTCW as the union that advocates forthe rights of home care workers and their clients, manpeople in neighboring areas like Filipino Town, Korea Townand Los Feli had little idea about the organiationheadquartered right down the road from them. So FreshStart was the wa to re-introduce ULTCW as a group opeople committed to helping working families in thesetough economic times.

The festival offered a wide variet of entertainmenincluding: music b popular Cumbian band Ver BeCareful, MC duties b KCRW DJ Jerem Sole, castlebouncers, face-painting, street dancing, dragon dancing

juggling, drumming classes, group photo stand and ULTCW purple mascot.

And for families, the festivals free services featurehealth screenings such as blood pressure checks, eeexams and chair massages. There were also booths withrepresentatives from a wide variet of local non-prot andcommunit-based organiations. All donated their time

and services.

Toda was the perfect example of what being a part oa union is all about, said Julie Chow, Vice PreseidentULTCW. Its about coming together to not onl raiseawareness of a need, but to be part of the solution.

For more information on the Fresh Start event, see theULTCW website: http://www.seiu-ultcw.org/Fresh_Start_Festival_Draws_Thousands.aspx

FRESH START FESTIVAL HELpS FAMILIES GET READY

TO GO BACk TO SCHOOL


DarcelWoods,candidateforAssembly(District59)

U.S. Representative Maxine Waters hands out backpacks tofamilies at the Fresh Start Festival.


6/8

On October 6, 2010, 98 das past deadline the Governor and state legislatuannounced that the had reached

agreement on the state budget that woubridge a $19 billion decit. The Governoinitial budget proposed the near eliminatiof the IHSS program back in Januar, but tnal budget contains just a three percent cto recipient hours. This represents a victofor home care recipients and providers. Oke reason that the cuts to the IHSS prograwere less severe than originall proposis due to the collaborative efforts of tlegislature and a coalition of caregivrecipients and seniors, including ULTCW

to pass the Personal Care IHSS QuaAssurance Revenue Fund. This fund secur$190 million in additional federal funding fthe home care program in California.

SEVERE CUTS TO IN-HOME CARE IN STATE BUDGET AVOIDED, DUE

TO MEMBER EFFORTS

STATE BUDGET UpDATE

The ULTCW Leadership Academ is proud

to announce its second graduating class!On September 26th nineteen members ofthe ULTCW Executive Board completed thethree da leadership development program. Arecommendation from the M.O.V.E. committee,the Leadership Academ was created to provideULTCW members with the skills and tools neededto be active union leaders. The academ plans tooffer a new class to ULTCW member leaders andactivists in the near future.

LEADERSHIp ACADEMY

Members are taking an active role in helping to elect JerrBrown for Governor and Kamala Harris for Attorne Generalthrough ULTCWs Member Political Organier program.

This member-to-member program enables members, whoare asked to work four hours shifts, to help elect endorsedstatewide candidates through phone banking or precinct

walking. The goal is to tr to get decided voters to the poand to persuade undecided ones to come out and suppothe candidates. Two hundred members so far have sign

our pledge cards and committed to working shifts, saKia Stokes, Political Director, ULTCW. Our goal is to g350 members engaged in the program.

MEMBER pOLITICAL ORGANIzERS

If o are ineresed in paricipaing, pease ca he Member Acion Commieea 1-877-My-ultCw o sign p.


7/8

AROUND ULTCWGIVING CALIFORNIA NURSING HOME WORKERS A VOICE!

PowerPAC, a nonprot created to champion democracand social justice in states and communities across the

countr, was a signicant coalition partner in the creation ofOne Nation Working Together activities in California. Thewere consistentl a partner that not onl helped anchor thiswork in California but utilied their own networks in the stateto connect important communities of color, immigrantsand students to One Nation activities. We look forward tocontinued work with them.

For more information,visit www.PowerPAC.org.

you ma also call theirSan Francisco ofce at(415) 442-0940 or the Los

Angeles ofce at (213)489-3776.

COMMUNITY pARTNER SpOTLIGHTpOWERpAC

In earl summer, 80 ULTCW members (both nursinghome and homecare) started working together as part ofan organiing blit focused on the thousands of nursinghome workers in California who are denied a voice on the

job. Through their dedication and determination to make

sure that no voice goes unheard, these ULTCW membershave been working hard to make sure that nursing homeworkers exercise their right to be represented.

In just a few short months their efforts seem to have paidoff as we have welcomed hundreds of new nursing homemembers to ULTCW through victories at Imperial Care,Countr Villa Seal Beach, Centinela West, Centinela East,and LifeHOUSE. But even with such great victories undertheir belts, their work to organie other nursing homeworkers continues.

Welcome to all of our new members and congratulationsto our member organiers for continuing to give workersa voice!

Imperial workers celebrate victory.

To get the the most up to the date news at ULTCW, go to

www.seiu-ultcw.org


8/8

MEMBERS ATTEND

"DEMAND CHANGE DAY

FOR ONE NATION AND GET

OUT THE VOTE IN NOV 2

ELECTIONS

Actor Dann Glover inspired thecrowd with a er speech as well. His

message, with sts pounding in theair, was to take this movement intoNovember and beond.

We are going to stand together.We are going to ght together. Weare going to win together. Becausethis democrac belongs to us, thisdemocrac is ours. This nation isours, and we are going to win.

GettingouttheVotein

Novemberandin2012 The hard work began shortl afterthe morning event when membersreceived get out the vote trainingand took vans to various precincts tocanvass. Other members participated

(continued from page 4) in a phone bank at the event toreach out to potential voters.

B reaching out to potential voters,members were able to speak abouthow important this election is totheir future.

I was reall glad to be able toparticipate in the local rall. It wasreall great to be with all the otherunion members and to be able tohear the inspirational speeches atthe event," said Joce Haashi,ULTCW member. I think it will bea good jumping off point for theresults we want on November 2.

For more about One NationCalifornia go to: http://www.

s e i u -u l t cw .o rg /T ho us a nds _Gather_in_California_for_One_Nation_Working_Together__Da_of_Action_.aspx

There were two stops that hadthe greatest effect on me. The rstwas Albuquerque, New Mexico,where I saw the horrible effects ofhomelessness rst hand. Whenwe visited Cuidando Los Ninos, adacare for homeless children, wesaw kids that had to go through

rehabilitation to learn how to walkor crawl because the had spent somuch time sitting in a car seat whileliving in their car. The other stopwas Memphis, where we visited thecharter school Omni Prep. As wetalked to the children man madecomments about how grateful thewere to be attending the school. Thismade me realie that children reallwant to learn, and that the just needthe right environment to succeed.

Overall, I found this trip to WashingtonD.C. to be ver enlightening. I amglad I did it, as I made a lot of newfriends during our journe throughthe six different states. It was a greatexperience to learn how the rest ofthe countr is dealing with problemssimilar to those in California.


MIEMBROS ASISTEN A

DEMAND CHANGE DAY

(DIA pARA EXIJIR UN

CAMBIO) pARA UNA NACIONY SALGA A VOTAR EN LAS

ELECCIONES EL 2 DE NOV

hace dos aos. Pero estas listopara hacer algo al respecto? Estaslisto para reclamar el cambio por el quevotaste?

El actor Dann Glover inspiro a lamultitud con un ardiente discursotambin. Lanando puos al aire su

mensaje fue de llevar este movimientoa noviembre ms all.Vamos amantenernos juntos. Vamos a pelear

justos. Vamos a ganar juntos. Por queesta democracia nos pertenece, estademocracia es nuestra. Esta nacin esnuestra, vamos a ganar.

Saliravotarennoviembrey

enel2012

El trabajo duro comen pocodespus del evento de la maana

cuando los miembros recibieron el

(continuado de la pgina 4) entrenamiento, conseguir el voto tomaron varios vans a precintos parahacer propaganda electoral. Otrosmiembros participaron en hacer

llamadas telefnicas en el eventopara conseguir votantes potenciales.

Al conseguir votantes potencialeslos miembros pudieron decir que tanimportante es esta eleccin para sufuturo.

Estaba realmente contenta depoder participar en el rall local.Era realmente maravilloso estar conotros miembros del sindicato poder

escuchar los discursos de inspiracindel evento, dijo Joce Haashi,miembro de la ULTCW. Creo que vahacer un buen punto de comienopara los resultados que queremos el2 de noviembre.

Para ms informacin sobre Californiacomo Una Nacin: Vaa a: http://www.seiu-ultcw.org/Thousands_Gather_ in_Cal i forn ia_for_One_Nation_Working_Together_Da_of_

Action_.aspx

Hubieron dos paradas que tuvieronel maor efecto en m. La primera fue

Albuqurque, New Mexico, donde vi

los terribles efectos de estar sin hogar,a primera vista. Cuando visitamosCuidando Los Nios una guarderapara nios sin hogar vimos a nios quetenan que hacer rehabilitacin paraaprender como caminar, gatear porque pasaron mucho tiempo en un portabebe por que vivan en el carro. La otraparada fue Memphis, done visitamos laescuela preparatoria charter Omni Prep.Mientras hablbamos a los nios, varioshicieron comentarios acerca de que tanagradecidos eran de asistir a la escuela.Esto me hio pensar que los niosrealmente quieren aprender que ellossolo necesitan el medio ambiente paratener buenos resultados.

En general, encontr este viaje aWashington D.C. mu instructivo, estocontenta de haberlo echo por que hicemuchas amistades durante nuestroviaje a travs de seis diferentes estadosfue una gran experiencia de aprendercomo el resto del pas esta manejandolos problemas similares a aquellos enCalifornia.

(continuado de la pgina 4)

seiu united long term care workers oct. 2010 newsletter | english

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