Home Care

San Mateo County workers jump on 'The Fair Share Express'

SM-IHSS-Caravan08172010-398px

Aug. 16 - Five cities, five supervisors' districts, one cause - San Mateo County workers jumped on "The Fair Share Express" and shuttled to five consecutive cites, holding a rally within each supervisor's district.

Home care workers demand fair contract
The Daily Journal/San Mateo County, Aug. 17

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Home Care (IHSS)

Contact: (877) 734-8521 or (650) 801-3522

Chapters:
- Santa Clara County In-Home Supported Services

- San Mateo County In-Home Supported Services
Click on above links for specific chapter information, including stewards, events, meetings, trainings and contracts.

San Mateo County IHSS Steward Council & Leaders Meeting
Wednesday, September 8, 2 PM
SEIU Local 521, 981 Industrial Rd. Suite A, San Carlos
AGENDA:
- Contract Negotiations Update
- State updates on IHSS
- Governor's Race
Please RSVP at 1-877-SEIU-521 or 1-877-734-8521.
Translations:
SMIHSS-StewardLeaderMtg09082010

Chinese and Spanish / Español

Become a Union Activist:

County and Home Care workers show unity!

July 13 – Pledging to work together, workers urged San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to look for real budget solutions.

Save Home Care

Defend the rights of the elderly and disabled to live in their own homes

June 25 - Hundreds of In-Home Support Service consumers and caregivers met Friday with local legislators to oppose a planned 42% cut to a crucial state program that allows seniors and people with disabilities to live in their homes instead of in expensive, institutional care facilities.

"Slashing In-Home Support Services isn't a budget solution"
-- Assemblymember Beall

Take action: Tell Your Reps to Reject the Gov's IHSS Cuts!

Learn more: visit www.healthyathomeca.org or visit the 521 home care web page.

Fresno County home care cuts halted Business Journal, June 30

Home Care: Safe Lives, Save Money

The Governor has proposed to cut the program by either 87% or to eliminate it entirely (...). We need to let our elected leaders know that cuts to in-home care need to be taken off the table. Home care keeps California's low-income, frail seniors and people with serious disabilities Healthy at Home.

Take Action Now: Call 1-877-SEIU-521

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In-home care must be "kept whole"

May 28 - Local and state elected leaders joined more than 100 community members at a town hall to protect the In-Home Supportive Services program from budget cuts.

"You touch our hearts and so doing, you embolden us to renew the commitment. We are ready and willing to fight with you, because we have to do this together," said San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon.

View slideshow | Video town hall highlights

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Looming Home Care Cuts

May 14 - In-home care is a lifeline for nearly half a million elderly and disabled Californians, but in his Budget Revise, the Governor proposed massive cuts to this program.

Tell Your Reps to Reject the Gov's IHSS Cuts

Learn more: visit www.healthyathomeca.org

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Home Care victory!

March 3 - California court rules in favor of frail seniors and people with disabilities who rely on homecare.

Click here for press release

Home Care Workers win 2-year contract

Jan. 14 − More than 1,000 Home Care workers from Santa Clara County have voted to ratify their contract that ensures they will be able to provide critical care for clients for the next two years.

View slideshow

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Homecare workers sing carols for Board of Supervisors

Dec. 14 - Topped in Santa hats and with song in their hearts, Santa Clara County home care workers paid a holiday visit to the Board of Supervisors Monday afternoon. Setting aside bullhorns and picket signs, the home care carolers wanted to send a message that their work − taking care of the elderly and people with disabilities - truly matters to the quality of clients' lives.

Watch video

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Homecare Workers Brave Cold, Hold Candlelight Vigil

Homecare Vigil Dec. 8, 2009 - Child carrying sign

Dec. 9 - Not even harsh winter temperatures could stop SEIU Local 521 homecare workers from fighting for our most vulnerable residents. When faced with cuts that would impact the elderly and disabled, homecare workers took action and organized a candlelight vigil in Gilroy on Tuesday.

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SEIU Local 521 Fights for Homecare

Nov. 13 - To highlight the services that homecare workers provide, and the quality of care clients receive that allows them to live with dignity, IHSS advocates held a rally this Friday in front of the Palo Alto senior center, Avenidas.

Watch video

Read the press release

Prayer Vigil for Homecare Providers, Clients

Nov. 5 - Holding candles aloft in the cold night air, more than 200 homecare providers, clients and community supporters called on Santa Clara County leaders to respect the elderly and disabled by treating their care providers fairly.

"New rules trip up caregivers, cost state more", San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 6, 2009

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Don't Allow IHSS Wages to be Reduced

With more than 200 workers in the audience, home care providers in Santa Clara County sent a clear message to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday: "We're too strong to be bullied."
"Look into your conscience, look out at your audience, put yourself in our shoes. Who would you find to do the work that we do for $9.50 an hour? Please don’t let us down." -- Dora Castro, IHSS provider

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State Bungles IHSS Cuts Implementation

Oct. 28 - At a legislative hearing, counties and stakeholders described how the state has failed to give clear and consistent guidance and adequate time to implement sweeping cuts and program changes.

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Home Care Protected
Seniors, Advocates and Providers Win Preliminary Injuction to Stop Home Care Cuts to 130,000 Californians. The injunction was welcomed by the hundreds of those affected and their supporters who had come to the federal courthouse this morning to rally and attend the hearing.

» Watch video

Federal Lawsuit Filed to Stop Cuts in Homecare to 130,000 Californians

Thursday, October 01, 2009

New Federal Lawsuit Will be Filed Thursday to Stop Cuts in Homecare to 130,000 Californians

Thursday, October 01, 2009

SEIU Stops Wage Cuts to San Mateo County Homecare Workers

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Judge Orders State to Halt Wage Cut For California Homecare Workers

Thursday, June 25, 2009

June 16 - STOP HOMECARE CUTS was the message homecare workers made loud and clear on the grounds of the California State Capital earlier this week as home care workers from across the state displayed a 625 square-foot sign made up of more than 75,000 postcards calling for an end to the governor's drastic cuts to the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program.

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Gov. Schwarzenegger: Home Healthcare Is Not A Throw-Away!

May 28 - SEIU homecare members closed their 48-hour vigil with a press conference on the steps of the California statehouse to protest drastic budget cuts which would drive homecare workers into poverty and force seniors and people with disabilities into more restrictive and costly institutional settings.

» View photos and video

"It's not about money, it's about dignity"

For four years, Imelda Oseguera cared for her mother-in-law, Maria: brushing her teeth, round-the-clock care for numerous ailments. Beginning in July, Oseguera and the approximately 2,400 in-home health care workers like her in San Mateo County, face a $2 per hour wage cut. "It's not about money, it's about dignity," she said. SEIU members and homecare workers held a 48-hour vigil at the State Capitol from Tuesday, May 26th until Thursday, May 28th.

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