Thousands of Homecare Workers Say: One Healthcare Union!

More than 7,000 people rallied at three events hosted by SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West, urging the governor to stop his attacks on the In-Home Supportive Services program, and standing up to keep homecare, nursing home, Kaiser, and hospital workers united in one healthcare workers union.
 


The “megameetings” in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Fresno, drew healthcare workers, consumers, and community supporters from across California. Together, workers and supporters made hundreds of phone calls and wrote hundreds more letters to the governor’s office, letting him know how crucial the care delivered by IHSS workers is, and how important it is that he stop his efforts to slash funding for this program.
 
The success of these meetings also shows the strength that comes from uniting all healthcare workers in one union. Without the combined strength of rank-and-file members across all of our divisions, this uphill battle to maintain funding for IHSS would be even tougher.
 
It’s also a taste of what’s to come, as members fight to stay together in one healthcare union, rather than letting long-term care and hospital workers be ripped apart into separate local unions. UHW members know how important that fight will be, because we know that dividing us would threaten our strength.
 
“You have to fight for your union, because only you and your union can determine your future,” said Roger Dickinson, member of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.