President’s Report, Summer 2016

What a summer it has been so far! We helped win full funding of the IHSS program for three more years, meaning the end to cuts to our clients’ hours of care. And we are now on the road to improving the IHSS payroll system, so caregivers and our families no longer deal with the harmful impact of late paychecks and timesheets. An audit of the payroll system has begun, and the state announced they will begin an electronic timesheet pilot program in April 2017.

As our legislators and the governor complete this year’s legislative session, we will continue to support bills that will improve the lives of caregivers and our families. Bills like SB 1234, would give California workers the option to have a small percentage of their wages automatically deducted and set aside for retirement. IHSS providers are currently included in the bill, and will find out soon if we are eligible for this program. We will also continue to fight for our sponsored bill AB 1930, which will start the process of extending Social Security, Medicare, and other social safety net benefits to parent and spouse providers.

UDW Events and Actions

Supporting presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, May 4^th

I attended an event hosted by local home care provider union SEIU 2015 in support of Hillary Clinton.

2016 Walk to Cure Arthritis, June 4^th

I volunteered with fellow UDW caregivers to support the success of this walk. The event was attended by about 3,000 participants.

Placer County membership meeting and picnic, June 16^th

I attended and volunteered at the picnic, which was attended by about 500 UDW members, family members, and clients. I helped honor caregivers with awards for their service to our union, and served lunch to the attendees.

AFSCME’s 42^nd International Convention, July 18^th – 22^nd

I attended the convention with a delegation of UDW caregivers in Las Vegas. Throughout the convention, we stood up in support of resolutions that would move our union forward, heard from leaders like AFSCME President Lee Saunders and Secretary-Treasurer Laura Reyes, and stood in solidarity with culinary workers in Las Vegas as they fought for their right to negotiate a union contract.

Meetings

I attended UDW membership meetings in counties throughout the state. At many of the meetings I helped swear-in UDW’s new elected leaders, and provided members with updates on the latest IHSS and UDW news.

• San Diego County membership meeting, May 12th
• Imperial County membership meeting, May 18th
• Orange County membership meeting, June 18^th
• District 4: Alpine, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne Counties membership meeting, June 30^th

I also travelled the state throughout the quarter to swear in members of UDW’s local boards with UDW Executive Director Doug Moore.

• District 5 leaders, May 23^rd
• Districts 4 and 6 leaders, May 24^th
• Districts 2 and 3 leaders, May 25^th

I joined UDW caregivers from Riverside and San Diego at the statewide bargaining table on May 10^th and June 8^th to negotiate better wages and benefits for IHSS providers in both counties.

California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA) meeting, May 2^nd

We meet via conference call to prepare for a lobby day later that month.

Finance Committee meeting, May 20^th

We prepared for the Executive Board meeting, which was held on June 6^th.

Communications Committee meeting, May 30^th

We meet via conference call to brainstorm and give out assignments for the Summer edition of The Caregiver.

UDW Executive Board meeting, June 6^th  

Held in San Diego, we met to give updates and discuss the functions, duties, and responsibilities of each member of the board.

California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA) meeting, June 21^st   

We prepared for our upcoming CARA regional convention on September 20^th.

Member Withdrawal Committee meeting, June 23^rd

Discussed a policy for handling withdrawal letters from UDW members, which was pending approval until our next meeting on July 12^th.

Riverside Healthcare Trustee conference call, June 23^rd 

We implemented a temporary freeze on healthcare enrollment in District 3 (Riverside County) due to a budget shortage.

Stipend Committee meeting, June 29^th   

Held at the San Diego office, the Executive Board discussed a new stipend policy for local and statewide leaders, including work that must be completed to grow the union and due dates for stipend forms.

Stipend Committee meeting, July 6^th

Met via conference call to establish the new stipend policy for elected Executive Board members locally and statewide.

Member Withdrawal Committee meeting, July 12^th

Approved a process for handling requests from members to withdraw from our union. Established that district chairs will support UDW staff in communicating with members who want to withdraw from the union.