Victories for IHSS Providers and Clients
1999
Sponsored and won legislation securing collective bargaining rights for IHSS providers; won these same rights in 2018 for Waiver Personal Care Services (WPCS) providers. Also won legislation creating a statewide authority for IHSS.
2007
Sponsored and won legislation to establish direct deposit for IHSS paychecks.
2009
Stopped politicians from reducing IHSS provider pay to minimum wage ($8/hour), and stopped them from eliminating IHSS services for those with a functional index score below 4 (87% of IHSS clients).
2010
Stopped Governor Schwarzenegger from eliminating the IHSS program completely and fought back against false claims of fraud in the program.
2011
UDW successfully ended burdensome requirements for IHSS providers and clients, including the requirements that IHSS providers pay for multiple background checks if working in more than county, that all IHSS clients be fingerprinted, and that providers and clients fingerprint each timesheet.
2012
Prevented a 20% cut to IHSS hours in court, and subsequently stopped an additional 7% cut to hours in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
2013
Won overtime pay for caregivers after being excluded from these protections for over 75 years.
2014
Stopped restrictions in overtime that would have limited providers to 40 hours per week and disrupted care, forcing IHSS clients to use a pool of less experienced, temporary providers after their provider of choice worked 40 hours in a given week. UDW also pressured the state to lessen their proposed timesheet violations and to extend violation grace periods from three to five months.
Also won paid travel time between clients and paid time for medical accompaniment.
2016
Won paid sick leave for IHSS providers and lobbied the state to fix late IHSS paychecks and timesheets by securing more hours of processing at the timesheet facility to avoid delays over holiday weekends, launching electronic timesheets in 2017, and conducting a state-level audit to uncover issues with the payroll system.
Also helped win $15 minimum wage in California, enacting annual wage increases for IHSS providers and all minimum wage workers starting in 2017 and ending in 2022.
2017
UDW worked with advocates across the nation to stop Congress from passing legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and reduce Medicaid funding for states, which would have resulted in $400 million in cuts to IHSS and 14.1 million Californians losing their health care coverage.
2020
Stopped politicians from reinstating the 7% cut to IHSS in light of massive budget deficits caused by COVID-19.
2021
Ended the 7% cut to IHSS for good, and won legislation to financially penalize counties for refusing to bargain with IHSS providers in good faith.
2022
Statewide minimum wage increases to $15/hour.
Pay Raises and Health Benefits for IHSS providers
UDW continues to win pay raises and other benefits like health insurance and training for IHSS providers across the state.
Victories for Family Child Care Providers
2016
Won legislation that increased reimbursement rates paid to family child care providers through the state’s low-income child care subsidy program, updated eligibility limits and lengthened eligibility periods, and allowed more working families to access subsidized child care.
2017
Won direct deposit for family child care providers and legislation requiring Alternative Payment (AP) programs to include payment descriptions with paychecks as well as promptly notify providers of changes to a family’s subsidy eligibility.
2019
Won collective bargaining rights for family child care providers after a 16-year-long battle.
2019
UDW child care providers were appointed to Governor Newsom’s Early Childhood Policy Council and advisory committees with the goal of informing the creation of a Master Plan for Early Learning and Care.
2020
Child care providers statewide overwhelmingly voted to be represented by their union, Child Care Providers United (CCPU, a joint effort by UDW and SEIU).
2021
Won first contract with the state, raising reimbursement rates for family child care providers for the first time in five years, along with funding to improve and strengthen the family child care system in California.
Protecting Our Loved Ones and Communities
2015
Half of all people killed by police have a physical or intellectual disability or mental illness. In 2015, UDW sponsored and passed bills mandating 30 hours of evidence-based classroom training for police officers to learn how to properly interact with people with disabilities who are in crisis.
2016
Won expansion of “Be On the Lookout” bulletin requirements to include people with cognitive and developmental disabilities.
2019
Co-sponsored and helped pass the strongest use-of-force law in the country, requiring that law enforcement only use deadly force when all other methods of de-escalation are exhausted.
Also sponsored and passed legislation to explore updating our 911 system to ensure that first responders have all the information they need to properly assist a person with a disability who is in crisis.
2020
Co-sponsored and won the California Racial Justice Act in 2020, groundbreaking legislation prohibiting the use of race, ethnicity, or national origin to seek or obtain convictions or impose sentences.
2021
Helped win legislation to decertify law enforcement officers who are are convicted of serious crimes such as excessive force, sexual misconduct, and abuse. Also helped win legislation to research and implement alternatives to police when individuals are experiencing a mental health crisis.
Fighting for Universal Long-Term Care
2018
Won $3 million in the state budget to fund the collection and analysis of critical data on the need for expanding access to long-term services and supports (LTSS) in California.
2019
Secured $1 million in funding for an actuarial analysis on financing and service options for LTSS, the next step in our fight to win universal long-term care. UDW leaders were appointed by the Governor to serve on the Alzheimer’s Task Force and the Master Plan for Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee.
COVID-19 Victories
Protecting Pay
Successfully fought to protect the January 2021 statewide minimum wage increase to $14/hour in the face of a COVID-related economic downturn, and stopped proposed cuts to IHSS and child care.
Also won guaranteed subsidy payments to family child care providers regardless of attendance through September 30, 2020.
Providing PPE
Purchased and distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to UDW members, and pushed the state to provide hundreds of thousands of pieces of PPE to IHSS providers. Also, successfully advocated for a statewide PPE stockpile for use by health care and essential workers, including IHSS providers and family child care providers.
Protecting IHSS Providers
Ensured that IHSS providers had access to worker’s comp and federal assistance programs including two weeks of COVID-related emergency paid sick leave and unemployment assistance. Fought for the creation of an emergency IHSS provider backup system in every county and a supplemental $2/hour wage for IHSS workers serving as backups.
Protecting Family Child Care Providers
Won a total of $100 million to protect child care providers and the families they serve during the pandemic; $50 million for child care vouchers for essential workers and $50 million for cleaning supplies. Secured up to 14 additional paid non-operation days for family child care providers impacted by COVID-19 during the pandemic, and ensured that providers were reimbursed for care during the time a school-age child was participating in distance learning in their child care facility.
Carina Program
Launched the Carina program to match essential workers who needed child care with family child care providers in their area.
