Fresno, CA--On Sunday, May 31st SEIU-UHW members and leaders will kick off a Get Out the Vote effort for a union election that will affect more than 10,000 Fresno home care workers. Hundreds of SEIU-UHW members from across California and around the U.S. have come to the Central Valley to stand with Fresno County home care workers as they fight to keep their union strong and protect their future.
On June 1st ballots will go out to 10,000 Fresno County home care workers, asking them to decide on their future union representation. Workers will voting on whether to stay in SEIU, the nation's largest home care union, or be represented by NUHW, a start-up organization led by the former leaders of UHW who were removed from office for misusing members' dues money in January. The County mandated the election after NUHW filed a petition to force the vote. At issue is who best can represent the workers in the current climate of budget cuts.
Last week, California seniors, people with disabilities, and their SEIU caregivers launched a statewide effort to fight back against Governor Schwarzenegger's sharp and deep budget cuts. In addition, SEIU filed a class action lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the State of California and Fresno County from slashing the wages of home care workers to near poverty levels and from reducing the hours of care seniors and people with disabilities receive from going into effect. The suit--brought on behalf of individual consumers and SEIU--charges that the planned cuts put seniors and people with disabilities at risk and violate the American with Disabilities Act and Federal Medicaid Law.
Sunday, May 31st
12:00 NOON: News Conference, Radisson Hotel
WHAT: Kick off news conference with UHW members from around the stateWHO: UHW Trustee Eliseo Medina, UHW Trustee Dave Regan, Fresno-area home care workers,
WHERE: Radisson, 2233 Ventura St, Salon C, Fresno, CA
3:45 P.M.: Rally, Fresno Fair Grounds
WHAT: Kick off Rally with Hundreds of SEIU Members from around the country
WHO: Home care workers and more than six hundred SEIU members from SEIU locals through out the country to kickoff week of GOTV to help Fresno home care workers defend their union.
WHERE: Fresno Fair Ground, Agricultural; Building, 1121 S. Chance Ave.
There is a designated parking lot located at the corner of South Chance and Lane Street across the street from the Fairground entrance #4.
Contact: Renee Asher, 301-237-7427, Nathan Selzer 510-502-1732