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UDWA News Post

Your Vote Matters

November is only a few months away, which means that it’s time to get ready to vote. When care workers vote, it can mean the difference between a future where our work is acknowledged and valued by our local, state, and federal representatives, and one where it is not. 

Over the past year, we’ve seen the tremendous impact that having supportive elected leaders can have when it comes to our financial stability, our health, and our long-term benefits as family child care and home care providers. 

This year, thanks to our votes—and our voices—we’ve won: 

The Workers Tax Fairness Credit, which will provide union members a tax credit of up to 33% of paid union dues. 

For IHSS providers: 

Changes to CalSavers, California’s retirement savings program, will give providers the option to have contributions to their retirement fund automatically deducted from their paychecks, making it easier and more hands-off to save! 

For Family Child Care Providers: 

  • $100 million annually from the state to provide health care subsidies, help cover out-of-pocket health care costs, and more. 
  • The nation’s first pathway toward retirement security for child care providers, with $240,000 from the state, including a $100,000 retirement trust fund to begin paving the way toward a dignified retirement. 

Winning at the County Level 

Thanks to UDW members voting for and strengthening relationships with Board of Supervisors who value care work, counties like Tuolumne, Imperial and Santa Barbara have seen significant wins in their new IHSS contracts, including increased wages, one-time bonus payments, better life insurance coverage, and funds for PPE. We’ve spent years turning counties around and advocating for better recognition, pay and benefits and although these are incredible wins, we know that there is a lot of work to be done—and we can’t do it without you 

Winning for Kern County 

Our Kern members are working to update local laws to pave the way for a healthier, safer, and more economically thriving Kern for all. Over the past six months, UDW members and local leaders filed a petition and collected the 20,338 required signatures to put the issue of term limits for county supervisors on the November ballot. Together with the We Are Kern County Coalition, we clocked tens of thousands of steps and knocked on thousands of doors to limit the Board of Supervisors to two terms, or eight years, and make way for new, bold leaders to step up for Kern residents. The county verified the signatures in early June, ensuring the proposition will be listed on this November’s ballot— next up, members in Kern County need to vote yes on term limits! 

Salvador Lopez Segura, IHSS provider and UDW member, spent months gathering signatures for the term limits measure and he reminds us of why our votes matter. 

“It’s important that we go out to vote so we can elect a board of supervisors that will do their job of representing and listening to the people’s needs. We need elected officials that invest our community’s funds in the essential services people need, rather than pocketing the money for when things get worse.” 

On November 8, 2022 let’s make sure each and every one of our voices are heard through voting! Register to vote at registertovote.ca.gov and check out a list of UDW endorsed candidates at udw.org/endorsements/