We all need care.

At some point, from the moment we are born to our final breath and the time in between, we will all need care.

UDW members provide critical support and care to California’s children, seniors and people with disabilities, all while advocating for our own essential rights and fighting for what our communities need to thrive. UDW believes that when we uplift those who care for us, we can build a more compassionate and just world.

Who We Are:

45

Counties

72%

Are Female

22%

Are Male

52%

People of Color

About Care Providers

Care work is skilled, essential, and happening everywhere.

Care providers are trained professionals, caregivers, educators, and advocates — supporting health, independence, and early learning every single day. This is the work that allows families to function, communities to stay stable, and people to live with dignity.

Care That Sustains Life

Home care providers support health, safety, and dignity at home every single day. This is what makes independence possible with the support of IHSS home care workers:

Medical and paramedical support
Monitoring health and medications
Personal care and daily living support
Safe homes, prepared meals, consistent care

Care That Builds the Future

Family child care providers create the conditions children need to grow, learn, and succeed. This is how our children and the future of our state thrive:

Early learning and developmental support
Safe, nurturing environments
Daily care, meals, and structure
Partnership with parents and families

Our Members

To know our UDW members is to love them.

Each home care and child care worker carries a powerfully unique story, a narrative deeply rooted in commitment and love for clients and community. We’ve collected some of our stories to give you an inside look into members’ daily lives, highlighting the care we give and the impact we have on our neighborhoods, friends and families.

Meet Astrid:
Caregiver, Activist, Mom

“UDW helped me to find my voice… when you fight for one, you’re fighting for all.”

Our union

We strengthen the fabric of our communities.

United Domestic Workers (UDW/AFSCME Local 3930) is a union with over 250,000 home and child care workers in California. We are integral to the state’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, which ensures that nearly 800,000 seniors and people with disabilities in California live with the dignity and independence they deserve. Our child care members provide high-quality, affordable, home-based child care and early education, supporting countless working families who power our state’s economy.

250,000

seniors and people with disabilities cared for by our members

48 years

of dedication to care workers and people we care for

"Navigating the systems, the programs, the schooling, the therapies, I had no help. I had to figure it out on my own... UDW helped me find my voice."

"UDW has given me the opportunity to fight for protections for workers."

"When I first joined the union, I wanted people to see care workers in a different way…not as a nanny or a babysitter, but as the people we are: we are educating the children who are going to become the future of the nation."

"Our members are part of UDW because they WANT to be part of UDW."

OUR LIVES. OUR STORIES.

Our work is meaningful because of members like you. How has being involved with UDW impacted your life?

Take action

Help make care visible

Care workers deserve to be seen and valued. Share with your friends and family online to support the workers who make dignity and independence possible.

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Press Inquiries

For press inquiries or to interview our members, please email:
Press@UDW.org

News and Updates

UDW News – Quarterly Newsletter