Help us win equal pay for IHSS providers
Throughout the state many IHSS caregivers are earning minimum wage, while some of us make over $13/hour. That’s why in 2017 we’re fighting to win state-level collective bargaining for all IHSS providers in California. Help us win #Dignity4All – call 1-855-912-7804 today and urge your state lawmaker to support our proposal to move IHSS collective bargaining to the state-level.
State audit of IHSS payroll system is out
…and it confirms what we already knew: the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) could be doing a lot more to help providers avoid paycheck delays. Next steps? Our union UDW is sponsoring AB 237, a bill that would make key recommendations from the audit report law – like changing the timesheet rules so that a provider’s work week matches their pay period. Read more here.
UDW mom champions legislation to keep her son and other IHSS clients safe
She’s not just UDW’s statewide Vice President – Astrid Zuniga of Stanislaus County is a grandmother, mother, and home care provider for her adult son Manuel, who lives with autism. This year we’re standing with Astrid to pass legislation that would keep IHSS clients like Manuel safe in interactions with the police. Read more here, and take this survey to get involved.
OC Register: “The Freedom Foundation wants to fight Democrats by busting a California home care union”
Earlier this month UDW caregivers Toni Monique Taloa, Silvia Briseño, and Roy Pridemore were featured in an article by the OC Register about anti-home care group the Freedom Foundation and the importance of our union. “I had never changed an adult diaper or given an insulin shot. I was exhausted. I was isolated,” says Toni Monique in the article. But UDW helped her win protective supervision for her sister, “so I could sleep more than two hours a night and hire another part-time provider to help out. The union gave me back my life.” Read more here.
Reminder: The deadline to file our IRS tax returns is next Tuesday, April 18th.
If your household income was less than $54,000 in 2016, you can have your taxes filed for free. This tax season, don’t let filing your returns be a hassle – instead take advantage of ways to keep money in your pockets and get your hard earned money back. If your household income was less than $54,000 in 2016, you can have your taxes filed for free. Go to www.caleitc4me.org/get-it to find a free tax prep location near you.
Fill out the survey and join our AB 437 task force!
By Astrid Zuniga, UDW Vice President
I am a mother of five, grandmother of eight, and proud IHSS home care provider for my son Manuel, who lives with autism and intellectual disabilities.
Like any provider who cares for a person with severe autism and other kinds of cognitive disabilities, I am worried about what happens if Manuel wanders or gets lost and comes across a police officer. Did you know that half of people killed by police are people with disabilities?
UDW Vice President Astrid Zuniga and her son–and IHSS client–Manuel.
Manuel is nonverbal, aggressive, and has no fear of strangers or other kinds of danger. I worry about what could happen if he encounters a police officer or other first responder who doesn’t know how to deescalate situations with people like him. I worry that if Manuel is violent, or if he doesn’t follow orders, that the police may decide it’s necessary to use force against him.
Our clients and loved ones need our help. In 2017 our union UDW is sponsoring legislation – AB 437 – which would create a system so that people with disabilities and seniors can voluntarily provide vital information about themselves to first responders in their communities. The information they provide will help law enforcement know how to interact with people like Manuel. It will help first responders to react appropriately to our clients’ behavior and deescalate interactions so that no one is put in harm’s way. You can read the bill here.
Will you help me? I am asking my fellow UDW providers to join me to help pass AB 437. Do you have a client who is prone to wander? Or who has special needs when interacting with first responders? Fill out this survey to get involved today!
