UDW members elected by their peers to be delegates gathered in San Diego on June 7-9 for our 16th Constitutional Convention. Under a slogan that reflects the work we do and what it takes to do it— “Caregiver Strong”—we set a course for UDW’s future that focuses on protecting IHSS, raising the pay and status of caregivers, and standing up for the values we share as working people.
UDW bylaws call for conventions to be held every three years. At convention, we bring our experiences and our wisdom to the table to report on what we’ve accomplished so far and prepare for the challenges that lay ahead of us.
UDW President Editha Adams shared some of our successes and challenges during her President’s report, including: demanding and getting an audit of the IHSS payroll system, winning the option to use online timesheets, overtime pay and restoration of the seven percent cut to IHSS made during the budget crisis. She also talked about the issues we continue to fight: Federal interference in our program from Medicaid cuts and Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) and our most important issue UDW has and will never stop fighting for: raising caregiver pay.
“As I look back on the last three years, I am both proud of what we’ve done and excited for what we can yet accomplish,” said Adams.
When he addressed the convention, UDW Executive Director Doug Moore urged delegates to look to the bigger issues of social justice if we want to truly better life for ourselves and our families.
“As a union, we have always fought for more than just wages and benefits to better our members’ lives,” said Moore. “We know that helping ourselves, our clients and our families means helping our communities and the people in them. UDW is shaping the future by investing in people, always looking for ways we can lift each other up where others try to keep us down.”
Several special guests joined us to show their support for the work that UDW caregivers do. Assemblymember Shirley Weber, AFSCME International President Lee Saunders, President Pro Tem of the California State Senate Toni Atkins and Executive Director of the Solidarity Center Shawna Bader-Blau all addressed our delegates, offering support and perspective for the work caregivers do at home and in their communities. All speakers expressed gratitude and respect for the work that caregivers do.
“I see compassionate people making it possible for the sick and elderly to live in their own homes with comfort and dignity,” said Bader-Blau as she looked around the room.
For UDW member and convention delegate Maria Vega from Orange County, the convention was a valuable learning opportunity. “You learn more, you get to ask questions—everyone’s so helpful!” she said. Vega, who cares for her mother, said she learned about how the union works and is governed, but also about using new technology tools like the UDW App that help her everyday as a caregiver. And, of course, she learned to stay motivated to protect IHSS and our clients. “You keep fighting,” she said, “and you never give up.”
At convention we also passed several resolutions to help guide our future work (see full list below), and made changes to our constitution.
“I felt so privileged to be able to attend,” said UDW caregiver Denise Justice of Santa Barbara County. “Seeing resolutions being passed was very cool and exciting – it gave me the extra push to get out there and be active. The solidarity and comradery of my brothers and sisters at convention was amazing.”
After two days of hard work, we wrapped up convention with a Saturday night gala. Caregivers, who rarely get a night out, put on our dancing shoes and celebrated all that we accomplished together.
See pictures from the 2018 UDW Convention here.
2018 Convention Resolutions
- Restore the 7% Permanently
- Fair Labor Standards for Homecare Workers
- Stop Electronic Visit Verification
- Support Family Caregivers
- Universal Long Term Care
- Support for Safer Interactions between Law Enforcement and People with Disabilities
- Collective Bargaining for Child Care Providers
- Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment
- In Support of Pay Equity
- End Dark Money Interference in California Politics
- Affordable Housing
- Climate and Electric Vehicles
- Support Immigrant Workers
- Support of Peace and Justice in Palestine
- Support for Cannabis in Healthcare
- Protective Supervision
- Share of Cost Notification
January 16, 2018
Notice: If you lose or destroy your ballot, you may request a replacement by contacting UDW at (800) 621-5016 ext. 5454. A new ballot will be mailed within 24 hours. If you make a request after Thursday, March 15 you may not receive your ballot in time to return it.
Ballots will be mailed as early as February 12th, 2018 but no later than February 16th, 2018 to all eligible members in good-standing. All members who signed a membership authorization card prior to January 31, 2018 and paid dues in the month of January 2018 will be eligible to vote in this election. If you do not receive or are in need of a replacement ballot, please contact the Election Committee at 916-554-0931. The last day to receive such a request is 6:00 pm on Monday, March 12th, 2018.
Note: Only those counties with more than the number of allotted delegates running will have an election to select their delegate representatives.
| District 1 (San Diego County)- members are allowed to nominate up to 16 delegates. | |||||
| 1 | District 1 | Editha | Adams | Home Care Workers United | |
| 2 | District 1 | Emogene | F | Adams | Home Care Workers United |
| 3 | District 1 | Wiaam | Al | Qais | NONE |
| 5 | District 1 | Helene | E | Armand | NONE |
| 6 | District 1 | Gerald | Ashby | Advocates for Providers | |
| 7 | District 1 | Anna | Engel | NONE | |
| 8 | District 1 | Maria | Espinoza | Home Care Workers United | |
| 9 | District 1 | Willard | Gee | NONE | |
| 10 | District 1 | Israa | Gorgees | NONE | |
| 11 | District 1 | David | L | Haskins | Advocates for Providers |
| 12 | District 1 | Engracia | Hernandez | Home Care Workers United | |
| 13 | District 1 | Cecilia | Hernandez | Advocates for Providers | |
| 14 | District 1 | Bonnie | M | Kerlew | Advocates for Providers |
| 15 | District 1 | Jose | E | Kleber | Home Care Workers United |
| 16 | District 1 | Katerina | Lalioti | Home Care Workers United | |
| 17 | District 1 | Ali | Mani | NONE | |
| 18 | District 1 | Beatriz | Marin | Home Care Workers United | |
| 19 | District 1 | Ghaith | Matti | NONE | |
| 20 | District 1 | Rosario | Meling | Home Care Workers United | |
| 21 | District 1 | Nicanora | Montenegro | Home Care Workers United | |
| 22 | District 1 | Elham | P | Orroo | NONE |
| 23 | District 1 | Gabriel | Paramo | Advocates for Providers | |
| 24 | District 1 | Miriam | K | Plotkin | Advocates for Providers |
| 25 | District 1 | Nussrat | Qazzazi | NONE | |
| 26 | District 1 | Wasan | Safaya | NONE | |
| 27 | District 1 | Cheryl | Sevier | Advocates for Providers | |
| 28 | District 1 | Jack | Souphalith | NONE | |
| 29 | District 1 | John | Stevenson | Advocates for Providers | |
| 30 | District 1 | Maria | Teran | Advocates for Providers | |
| 31 | District 1 | Joann | Thompson | Advocates for Providers | |
| 32 | District 1 | Jesse | Torres | Advocates for Providers | |
| 33 | District 1 | Susan | Tran | Home Care Workers United | |
| 34 | District 1 | Fernando | Vazquez | Home Care Workers United | |
| 35 | District 1 | Hung | Vu | Home Care Workers United | |
| 36 | District 1 | Michelle | Wise | Home Care Workers United | |
| 37 | District 1 | Monica | Y | Zuniga | Home Care Workers United |
| 38 | District 1 | Beatriz | Manjarrez | Home Care Workers United | |
| 39 | District 1 | Darlene | Nelson | Advocates for Providers | |
| District 2 (Orange County) – members are allowed to nominate up to 16 delegates. | |||||
| 1 | District 2 | Hazim | Al | Bustani | Homecare Workers United |
| 2 | District 2 | Luz | Cedeno | Homecare Workers United | |
| 3 | District 2 | Nhien | T | Dong | Homecare Workers United |
| 4 | District 2 | Huong | Hoang | Homecare Workers United | |
| 5 | District 2 | Sinan | Jawad | Homecare Workers United | |
| 6 | District 2 | Rajinder | Mentha | Homecare Workers United | |
| 7 | District 2 | Christine | K | Nguyen | Homecare Workers United |
| 8 | District 2 | Snow | M | Nguyen | Homecare Workers United |
| 9 | District 2 | Huong | Nguyen | Homecare Workers United | |
| 10 | District 2 | Lientuong | Nguyen | Homecare Workers United | |
| 11 | District 2 | Angie | Nguyen | Homecare Workers United | |
| 12 | District 2 | Gloria | Orduna | Homecare Workers United | |
| 13 | District 2 | Dung | Phan | Homecare Workers United | |
| 14 | District 2 | Maria | Vega | Home Care Workers United | |
| 17 | District 2 | Darryl | L | Daniel | Home Care Workers United |
| District 3 (Riverside County) – members are allowed to nominate up to 16 delegates. | |||||
| 1 | District 3 | Maria | A | Avila | Home Care Workers United |
| 2 | District 3 | Naomi | M | Barnes | Home Care Workers United |
| 3 | District 3 | Rosa | Beltran | Home Care Workers United | |
| 4 | District 3 | Mia | M | Botkin | NONE |
| 5 | District 3 | Camilla | E | Bradford | Home Care Workers United |
| 6 | District 3 | Mieachia | E | Cooper | Home Care Workers United |
| 7 | District 3 | Kathleen | J | Crick | Home Care Workers United |
| 8 | District 3 | Susana | D | Duarte Garcia | Home Care Workers United |
| 9 | District 3 | Steve | Fuller | NONE | |
| 10 | District 3 | Mario | S | Ingrande | NONE |
| 11 | District 3 | Duanta | Jakubowska | NONE | |
| 12 | District 3 | Dimitri | R | Johnson | NONE |
| 13 | District 3 | Hallen | Kyung | NONE | |
| 14 | District 3 | Lessie | L | Lofton-McKnight | Home Care Workers United |
| 15 | District 3 | Martha | Martinez | Home Care Workers United | |
| 16 | District 3 | Juan | Martinez-Castellanos | NONE | |
| 17 | District 3 | Joaquina | R | Munoz | Home Care Workers United |
| 18 | District 3 | Desmond | Prescott | NONE | |
| 19 | District 3 | Wai | M | Quon | NONE |
| 20 | District 3 | Rosa | Ramirez | Home Care Workers United | |
| 21 | District 3 | Martha | Ramos | NONE | |
| 22 | District 3 | Eloisa | Richardson | Home Care Workers United | |
| 23 | District 3 | Lisa | Rivera | NONE | |
| 24 | District 3 | Patricia | Rodriguez | Home Care Workers United | |
| 25 | District 3 | Cassandra | Sambrano | Home Care Workers United | |
| 26 | District 3 | Shikira | H | Sanders | NONE |
| 27 | District 3 | Monique | T | Small | Home Care Workers United |
| 28 | District 3 | Vickie | D | Smith | NONE |
| 29 | District 3 | Marilyn | D | Smith | Home Care Workers United |
| 30 | District 3 | Josefina | Solares | NONE | |
| District 4 (Alpine, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne Counties)) – members are allowed to nominate up to 14 delegates. | |||||
| 1 | District 4 | Florence | Corie | Crowson | Homecare Workers United |
| 2 | District 4 | Elizabeth | A | Diaz | Home Care Workers United |
| 3 | District 4 | Tina | L | Fraser | NONE |
| 4 | District 4 | Gwen | D | Hewitt | Home Care Workers United |
| 5 | District 4 | Christopher | T | Moreno | Home Care Workers United |
| 6 | District 4 | Josefina | G | Ochoa | Home Care Workers United |
| 7 | District 4 | Debbie | S | Owens | Home Care Workers United |
| 8 | District 4 | Donald | W | Parks | Home Care Workers United |
| 9 | District 4 | Michael | D | Patterson | NONE |
| 10 | District 4 | Adella | M | Perales | Home Care Workers United |
| 11 | District 4 | Benjamin | V | Perez | NONE |
| 12 | District 4 | Susana | Saldana | NONE | |
| 13 | District 4 | Pakamon | Sopajaree | Home Care Workers United | |
| 14 | District 4 | Luis | Tapia | Home Care Workers United | |
| 15 | District 4 | Rebeca | Valencia | NONE | |
| 16 | District 4 | Terry | L | Walker-Dampier | Home Care Workers United |
| 17 | District 4 | Cynthia | J | Wilson | Home Care Workers United |
| 18 | District 4 | Astrid | J | Zuniga | Home Care Workers United |
| 19 | District 4 | Rebeca | Valencia | NONE | |
| District 5 (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Kern Counties) – members are allowed to nominate up to 13 delegates | |||||
| 1 | District 5 | Luz | Biely | Home Care Workers United | |
| 2 | District 5 | Concepcion | Gonzales | Home Care Workers United | |
| 3 | District 5 | Sarah | Ilenstine | Home Care Workers United | |
| 4 | District 5 | Wymon | Johnson | Home Care Workers United | |
| 5 | District 5 | Denise | Justice | Home Care Workers United | |
| 6 | District 5 | Sievna | Limpangug | Home Care Workers United | |
| 7 | District 5 | Elva | Munoz | Home Care Workers United | |
| 8 | District 5 | Sydney | R | O’Connor | Home Care Workers United |
| 9 | District 5 | Shawn | Richie | NONE | |
| 10 | District 5 | Maria | Rivera | Home Care Workers United | |
| 11 | District 5 | Teresa | Rosas | Home Care Workers United | |
| 12 | District 5 | Vibiana | Saavedra | Home Care Workers United | |
| 13 | District 5 | Lorenza | M | Silva | Home Care Workers United |
| 14 | District 5 | Rika | Smith | NONE | |
| 15 | District 5 | Teresa | M | Swick | NONE |
| 16 | District 5 | Rhonda | Vague | Home Care Workers United | |
| District 6 (Butte, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, and Sutter Counties) – members are allowed to nominate up to 13 delegates | |||||
| 1 | District 6 | Silvia | P | Arellano | Home Care Workers United |
| 2 | District 6 | Kathy | Barham | NONE | |
| 3 | District 6 | Adam | S | Green | Home Care Workers United |
| 4 | District 6 | Ian | S | Green | Home Care Workers United |
| 5 | District 6 | Adrian | J | Hardy | Home Care Workers United |
| 6 | District 6 | Charlotte | Leal | NONE | |
| 7 | District 6 | Diane | McCarty | Home Care Workers United | |
| 8 | District 6 | William | Reed | Home Care Workers United | |
| 9 | District 6 | Jean | L | Rezabeck | Home Care Workers United |
| 10 | District 6 | Martha | L | Ruiz | Home Care Workers United |
| 11 | District 6 | Lisa | D | Scott | Home Care Workers United |
| District 8 (Imperial County) – members are allowed to nominate up to 11 delegates | |||||
| 1 | District 8 | Maria | E | Godinez | Home Care Workers United |
| 2 | District 8 | Elvira | Mariz | Home Care Workers United | |
| 3 | District 8 | Sherrie | S | Nuyen | Home Care Workers United |
| 4 | District 8 | Leonor | Pelayo | Home Care Workers United | |
| 5 | District 8 | Diana | Sanchez | Home Care Workers United | |
| 6 | District 8 | Maria | I | Serrano | Home Care Workers United |
| 7 | District 8 | Marlet | Vizcarra | Home Care Workers United | |
NOTICE OF NOMINATION
This notice is to inform you that the nominations for UDW Convention Delegates are now open. Delegates will be elected to represent UDW Districts at the UDW Convention. The top members in each district receiving the most votes will be declared winners of the election. Delegate winners must be able to attend the convention, which begins on June 7th and ends on June 10th. Those nominees who are on the ballot but not elected as delegates are elected as alternates, in order of the total of votes they received.
*You are not voting at this time, you are nominating member providers to be listed on the Official Ballot that will be sent out the week of February 12th, 2018. Ballots will be counted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2018.
ELIGIBILITY
Any member in good-standing as of November 2017 is eligible to run for delegate. Members must remain in good standing for the months preceding the convention to hold elected position.
NOMINATION PROCESS:
Each UDW district is allotted delegates according to the number of dues-paying members in each district. See chart to find out how many delegates are allotted for your district:
All nominations must be made in writing. Download the form here:
District 1 (San Diego County): English | Spanish | Vietnamese
District 2 (Orange County): English | Spanish | Vietnamese
District 3 (Riverside County): English | Spanish
District 4 (Alpine, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne Counties): English | Spanish
District 5 (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Kern Counties): English | Spanish
District 6 (Butte, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, and Sutter Counties): English | Spanish
District 8 (Imperial County): English | Spanish
- To be eligible to nominate, you must be a union member who signed a membership authorization card prior to November 31, 2017 and paid dues in the month of November 2017.
- All nominations must be made in writing using the form attached to this notice.
- Nominations must be mailed or faxed or emailed to:
United Domestic Workers of America
4855 Seminole Drive, San Diego, CA 92115-9800
Or faxed to 1-916-244-2688
Or emailed to [email protected]
- No walk-in nominations will be accepted.
- Nomination forms must be received by mail, fax or email no later than Thursday, January 4th, at 9:00 am. All nominees will be notified in writing of their eligibility. All eligible nominees will be posted on the union’s website (www.udwa.org) on Tuesday, January 16th, 2018.
The following will be the required information on the nomination form:
- Name of the Nominee and the Nominator as it appears on their State of California payroll check
- County of the Nominee and Nominator
- The name of the Nominee’s slate (if applicable)
- Provider ID #
- Self-nomination is permitted.
- Any member may check his/her dues payment record. Dues inquires must be in writing and mailed to Election Committee C/O Clarissa Gonzalez, 4855 Seminole Ave, San Diego, CA 92115 or faxed to 916-244-2688
- You may nominate as many members as you want, up to 99, the number of seats UDW has at the convention. However, a separate nomination form must be sent for each member you nominate. *it is ok to copy the nomination form.
- You may only nominate members from your own district.
- Walk-in nominations WILL NOT be accepted
- Members who have been nominated will be notified in writing of their eligibility to run for office. To the nominees, further instructions on elections will be included in a separate mailer.
CHALLENGES TO THE ELIGIBILITY OF NOMINEES
A list of candidates nominated will be posted on the unions website (www.udwa.org) on Tuesday, January 16th, 2018. Any member or nominee may challenge the eligibility of a nominee. Any challenges to the eligibility of a nominee should be submitted in writing to Election Committee C/O Clarissa Gonzalez, 4855 Seminole Ave, San Diego, CA 92115 or faxed to 916-244-2688 or emailed to [email protected]. Eligibility challenges must be received no later than 4:30 pm on January 26th, 2018. The decisions of the Election Committee concerning all eligibility challenges are final.
Nominees will be notified of any challenges as the Election Committee receives them. Nominees may reply to any protests by Wednesday, January 31st, 2018 in writing to Election Committee C/O Clarissa Gonzalez, 4855 Seminole Ave, San Diego, CA 92115 or faxed to 916-244-2688 or emailed to [email protected].
ELECTION
Ballots will be mailed as early as February 12th, 2018 but no later than February 16th, 2018 to all eligible members in good-standing. All members who signed a membership authorization card prior to January 31, 2018 and paid dues in the month of January 2018 will be eligible to vote in this election.
Ballots will be picked up from the US Post Office located at 6401 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115 at approximately 11:00 am on March 20th, 2018 and returned to the 4855 Seminole Ave., San Diego, CA 92115 for the tally.
Each candidate is entitled to name one Official Observer who may be present at both the US Post Office location and as an observer at 4855 Seminole Ave., San Diego, CA 92115 for the tally. No candidates will be allowed at the tally and no candidate may serve as an observer.
Election results will be posted on the union’s website (www.udwa.org) after the completion of the tally.
If you do not receive or are in need of a replacement ballot, please contact the Election Committee at 916-554-0931. The last day to receive such a request is 6:00 pm on Monday, March 12th, 2018.
Candidates elected as delegates will be contacted by a UDW staff immediately after the election for travel arrangements.
EXPENSES
All costs to send the delegates to convention in San Diego, CA will be paid for by UDW including all flights, hotel accommodations and daily per diem to pay for meals. The expenses of guests who are non-delegates will not be paid by UDW, Local 3930.
ELECTION PROTEST
Any member in good-standing may protest the conduct of the election for valid cause. All election protests should be filed with the Election Committee no later than 4:30 pm on March 31st, 2018, in writing to Election Committee C/O Clarissa Gonzalez, 4855 Seminole Ave, San Diego, CA 92115 or faxed to 916-244-2688 or emailed to [email protected].
The decision of the Election Committee concerning all eligibility challenges are final.
