I hope you had a powerful month of June celebrating LGBTQIA2S+ Pride and Juneteenth.
And now that it’s July, we are excited to observe Disability Pride Month by lifting up and honoring the diverse experiences and contributions of people with disabilities and the Disability Justice movement!
In addition to celebrating our diversity and freedom, we’ve been making meaningful progress on our Justice Agenda.
Democracy School is back! Register today!
Democracy School is back this summer! We have a vitally important election coming up, and we have to get prepared.
Join with other long-term care workers in your region as we plan together how we’ll make our vision of an inclusive Future of Care a reality! Learn more about how our government works and how to get engaged with this election. Democracy School registration is officially OPEN, so click here to register.
There’s so much at stake this November: worker and immigrant rights, community safety and justice, even democracy itself. It will take all of us working together to protect our freedoms and continue our march towards justice for all!
SEIU’s International Convention and commitment to justice
In May, I shared about SEIU’s historic International Convention where SEIU 2015 member leaders joined hundreds of SEIU members from across the country to shape the direction of SEIU over the next several years.
Click here to read all of the resolutions passed at SEIU’s International Convention.
These resolutions reflect SEIU’s commitment to advancing worker rights, social justice, and political influence through unity and strategic goals, and I know our 2015 family will be leaders every step of the way!
A fair budget for working people
On June 11th, 333 of you joined with nearly 1,000 SEIU members and community allies to rally at the California State Capitol with a powerful message: protect families, workers, and our communities by passing a fair budget.
I’m so excited to share that due to your solidarity and collective power, our legislators approved a budget agreement that protects children, struggling families, immigrants, and workers. Click here to read more about the final budget agreement.
We want to thank our elected leaders for what they’ve done to protect critical services, but we must also urge them to continue pushing for more so we all have the care and support we need to thrive. Click here to send them that message.
In related good news, I’m pleased to share that the California Supreme Court recently ruled that the Taxpayer Deception Act WILL NOT be on the November ballot! We were poised to push hard to defeat this dangerous initiative, which was a bold attempt by a few extremely wealthy real estate developers to undermine voters and defund vital public services. Click here to learn more.
Update on the safe staffing and Medicaid access rules
On June 5th, nursing home workers from SEIU 2015 and other community allies spoke to congressional leaders in Washington DC, calling on them to protect the new Biden Nursing Home Staffing rule. Back in April, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced two rules that will positively impact care workers and their families. Now staffing standards are under attack by Republicans in Congress so we are showing up to ensure we get what we deserve: safe workplaces and living wages. Click here to learn more and fight back!
Progress for long-term care workers
Recently, 61 workers in Long Beach at Catered Manor Nursing Center won their union and joined our 2015 family! Click here to see our social media post welcoming them.
And, in case you missed it, in the past two months, we’ve welcomed more than 400 nursing home workers into our union family! We were also honored in last week’s National Career Nursing Assistant’s Day on behalf of all SEIU 2015 workers and the nearly 210,000 care providers in L.A. County. Los Angeles Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath presented SEIU 2015 leaders, including our President Arnulfo De La Cruz, with a certificate of proclamation to honor our Union’s important work. Click here to see pictures of the event.
Mendocino County IHSS providers reached a tentative agreement with County Supervisors, and San Benito County IHSS providers ratified their new union contract!
Ventura and Fresno IHSS providers held actions to escalate their campaign for higher wages and better benefits.
IHSS providers in Santa Cruz and San Joaquin held community briefings to make their case for higher wages as they begin contract negotiations soon.
Stay connected
We’re committed to improving care jobs by winning higher wages and better benefits, and the best way to do this is by EVERYONE getting involved in these campaigns.
For details on what’s happening in your county, please visit your region’s page on our website at www.seiu2015.org. Go to the “Who We Are” drop-down menu, then choose your region from the list of California Regional Offices.
In Solidarity,
Arnulfo De La Cruz
SEIU Local 2015 President