SEIU 2015 Celebrates National Caregivers Month

November is National Family Caregivers month – a time to recognize and appreciate the work that all caregivers do by providing care to our parents, grandparents and loved ones with disabilities.

Yet, many caregivers continue to struggle to make ends meet due to low wages.  And with our growing senior population the demand for care will soon exceed the caregivers available to deliver care unless we are able to attract and retain workers.

Join Us At Our SEIU Local 2015 Convention

On January 31^st and February 1^st, 2020, 1,700 Long Term Care workers from across the state will gather at the Bonaventure in LA for our SEIU 2015 Convention!

Top leaders and activists will come together to celebrate our achievements and use our collective power to stand up for Justice for All, and to put our agenda in motion for the next three years.

Wildfire and Power Outage Resources

Some of our Members’s are being impacted by wildfires and power outages. Please click the links below to find a list of evacuation centers and power resources.

SEIU Workers Applaud Governor Signature to “Keep Families Home”

Sacramento, CA – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California released the following statement upon Governor Gavin Newsom signing AB 1482 (Chiu) into law. This crucial legislation will help protect California’s renters by preventing landlords from rent gouging and requiring landlords to have just cause to evict their tenants.

Governor Newsom Appoints Long Term Care Workers Union President April Verrett to Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness Task Force

California – Today, Governor Newsom announced the appointment of April Verrett, President of SEIU 2015, California’s long term care workers union, to the Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness Task Force.

As President of SEIU 2015, Verrett leads the union representation of over 385,000 private agency and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) home care workers and nursing home workers throughout California that provide care to the state’s seniors and people with disabilities.

New Online Services for IHSS Providers Are Available through the CDSS Electronic Services Portal (ESP)

The Electronic Services Portal (ESP) is a website that allows you to save time and take care of all your payroll needs online.

Easy Processionals = Faster Payment

How Labor Won in the First Democratic Debate

Last night’s Democratic debate was the first of many, but it set the tone for how the 2020 Democratic candidates will address the future of the labor movement

“No justice, no peace!” Activists led by seniors, people with disabilities, and their caregivers shame Board of Supervisors for turning their backs on the county’s home care program

San Bernardino — After nearly a year of recent negotiations with county representatives and going 10 years without a wage increase from the county, caregivers with the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program were joined by activists including local veterans, faith leaders, social justice groups, and labor icon Dolores Huerta in shutting down the county’s budget meeting on Tuesday, dozens of them risking arrest for civil disobedience.

Sacramento Day of Action

On Thursday, May 30th, over 1,000 caregivers represented by SEIU Local 2015 rallied at the South steps of the Capitol, calling for additional champions for long term care in order to address the looming care crisis by creating long term solutions for California’s long term care infrastructure.

Governor Newsom — California Needs Long-term Solutions for Long Term Care Now!

During his campaign for governor, Gavin Newsom pledged to be a national leader in developing a California plan for long term care, and its growing aging crisis – the coming Silver Tsunami. However, his revised state budget falls far short of that promise. That’s why together, seniors, the disabled and their caregivers are calling on Governor Newsom to make long term care a California priority – now!

After their own attack from Trump Administration, Nursing Home and Home Care Workers joined Fight For 15 Activists at McDonald’s Strike

Los Angeles County — Members of SEIU 2015, California’s long term care union representing 385,000 nursing home and home care workers, joined Fight for 15 activists at today’s McDonald’s strike.

Noticias 19 Edicion Nocturna-Xavier Becerra IHSS Lawsuit Univision

Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA

Racism is Real. Palmdale’s Summerwind Elementary School Reminds Us of That

The recent event at Palmdale’s Summerwind Elementary School where four adults showcased themselves holding a noose is absolutely disgusting. However, it highlights the urgent need for us — as a community — to acknowledge the fact that racism exists. None of us have escaped its insidious grasp. We need to begin facing the very real and painful history of our nation. Although, we may not have been the architects of slavery or racist oppression, we have been unwitting and active participants in the systems and structures that continue to promote its destructive aims.

California sues US over home health worker union dues

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Five states have joined forces to try and block a new rule from the Trump administration they say weakens labor unions and their ability to collectively bargain for wages and benefits.

California sues US over home health worker union dues

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Five states have joined forces to try and block a new rule from the Trump administration they say weakens labor unions and their ability to collectively bargain for wages and benefits.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, announced the lawsuit on Monday with attorneys general in Washington, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Oregon.

Feds Sued for Change to Health Worker Union Dues Rules

Nearly 600,000 seniors and people living with disabilities in California receive support from home care workers through a Medicaid program called In-Home Supportive Services, which operates under the state’s collective bargaining laws due to action by the Legislature in the 1990s.

California files 50th suit against Trump administration, this time disputing union dues policy

California filed its 50^th lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, challenging a new federal rule that the state argues interferes with the ability to deduct union dues from the paychecks of workers in a government program that helps the elderly and disabled in their homes.

State AG Becerra sues Trump administration for 50th time

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed his 50th lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, challenging a ban on deduction of union dues from the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of workers providing in-home care for low-income elderly and disabled people.

Home Care Workers are the Latest Vulnerable Group Under Attack by the Trump Administration

On May 2, 2019, the Trump administration launched its latest attack on some of the most vulnerable members of the working class when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new rule that unions say will specifically target home care workers and their ability to organize by making it more difficult for them to pay union dues.

SEIU Local 2015 Applauds California Attourney General Becerra’s Legal Action Against the Federal Goverment’s CMS Rule Change

May 13, 2019 (Sacramento, CA) – Today, SEIU Local 2015 President, April Verrett, shared the following comments during Attorney General Becerra’s press conference regarding the State’s legal action against the Federal Government’s CMS Rule Change:

“On behalf of our membership, I want to thank the Attorney General for taking the lead on this action against this hateful federal rule change targeting home care providers, and for being a voice for home care workers not only across California but across the nation.

Governor Newsom’s budget falls short on Long-term Care Services for California Seniors and People with Disabilities

May 9, 2019 (Sacramento, CA) – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2015 – representing 385,000 long term care workers across the state, released the following statement from President April Verrett after Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his revised budget proposal for 2019-2020:

“When running for Governor, Gavin Newsom made a commitment to prioritize the long-term care needs of California’s aging population when elected.

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SEIU Local 2015 Denounces Trump Administration’s Latest Attack on Working Class People

CALIFORNIA — The Trump Administration has issued a rule aimed at preventing working people from having a say on their paycheck. This rule is the latest coordinated attack against working people, specifically working women of color, who care for seniors and people with disabilities.

A Message from our President: Caregivers Will Not Be Silenced – We Will Only Grow Stronger and Defend the Worker Rights that are Rightfully Ours!

Sisters and Brothers,

Yesterday, the Trump Administration’s ongoing attacks on working people continued with a direct attack on our IHSS members. With the release of a Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

“Let’s Stop the Politicking, and Bring Caregivers to the Table to Fix America’s Health Care System for Our Seniors” says SEIU Local 2015 President April Verrett

As the Trump administration reports that Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is set to run out of funds by 2026 due to rising health care costs, an aging population, and decreasing revenues, California’s largest long term care workers’ union, April Verrett, issued the following statement:

“Seniors and long term care workers in California refuse to accept this complacency by the Trump administration and our lawmakers, acting like there’s nothing to be done about the draining of the Medicare Trust Fund.

SEIU Local 2015 Executive Board Meeting, Sacramento, CA

SEIU Local 2015 will have an Executive Board Meeting in Sacramento, California, April 30 – May 1, 2019.

California Disaster Resource Guide

Where to find help after a natural disaster. California Disaster Resource Guide and governmental services pdf available for viewing or download.

LA Contract Voting Locations

Congratulations LA County IHSS Caregivers! Your Bargaining Team has reached a contract agreement with the PASC that will provide LA County IHSS Providers with increased wages and improved benefits! This victory comes as a result of your hard work and dedication. But before we can claim this win, we must first vote to ratify the agreement.

Carr Fire Resources

We stand with our brothers and sisters affected by the fires in Shasta and Lake Counties. Check out our resource guide.

SEIU 2015 Supports Workers with Increased Wages and Better Working Conditions

In 2018 we have secured major wins for In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and Nursing Home workers.

Open Letter from SEIU Local 2015 President, Laphonza Butler

Dear SEIU Local 2015 Sisters and Brothers:

Today, this week, this month, has seemed so hard…hard for our members, hard for our families, hard for our communities, and hard for our morals and values as human beings. With rulings of the US Supreme Court that condoned religious bias, thwarted the voices of millions of workers whose lives have improved by being a part of a fighting union, a Presidential Administration that ignores the cries of mothers, fathers, and children, it would be understandable for all of us to be exhausted, frustrated, and feel a sense of hopelessness.

Safe Staffing For Skilled Nursing Facilities

SB 97 is new legislation passed in 2017 that requires all Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) in California to staff at a level of 3.5 direct care hours per patient day (hppd), of which 2.4 hppd must be performed by Certified Nursing Assistant (CNAs).

Paid Sick Days

Major Wins: IHSS Providers Get Paid Sick Leave FAQ. IHSS providers won sick leave legislation because they organized through their union and used that power to lobby in Sacramento for this legislation.

June 2018 Primary Election Results

Happy 3 Years of Victories!

Three years ago, caregivers from across the entire state of California came together under one statewide local. This gave homecare and nursing home workers a stronger voice  — which we have used to win not only for care providers but for the aging and disabled populations, and all working families in the state. Since 2015 to now we’ve grown by over 75,000 long-term workers, making us the largest union in California. We’ve closed contracts that have raised wages, improved benefits, and increased standards for those we care for and and bettered working conditions for providers.In just 2017 alone, we closed 3 IHSS contracts, 44 nursing home contracts, and 5 contracts with private agencies.

Direct Deposit is Available for You

Direct Deposit is an optional way to receive your IHSS/WPCS paycheck.

With Direct Deposit, your IHSS paycheck is deposited directly into your checking or savings account, instead of being mailed to you through the U.S. Post Office.

Laphonza Butler Participates in the KJLH Radio “MLK 50 Legacy” Show Live

The “MLK Legacy” show will be an open panel discussion with other influential community leaders, and will feature live questions from the audience. The main focus of this show will be to reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. King. Throughout the day, KJLH will be playing positive and inspirational music, as well as excerpts from some of Dr. King’s most memorable speeches.

Laphonza Butler Speaks at the Aspen Institute Summit on Inequality & Opportunity

The #AspenOpportunity Summit brings together leading experts to discuss how we can bridge the widening opportunity gap in employment, education, health & more.

Community Tax Preparation Service

Free, community tax preparation services from SEIU Local 2015. At hundreds of locations throughout the state, trained tax preparers will make sure that you get the largest refund possible by taking advantage of every tax credit and deduction you qualify for.

California Gubernatorial Forum On Long Term Care

Tune-in for our Governor’s Forum on Thursday Feb. 8th at 6 PM. Candidates for Governor outline their plans for our state’s aging population. Join the conversation online using #CareCrisisForum

AB 1513: The Fight For All Homecare Workers

Did you know that there is still a home care workforce out there that can only dream about fair compensation, being treated with respect, having a voice and being able to vote on their wages? Unfortunately, this is currently not the reality for private home care aides. They are incredibly isolated and subject to abuse. In addition, homecare workers are geographically spread out and do not have contact with co-workers and often change worksites, moving from private home to private home.

2017 Legislative Priority Updates

As a union of over 325,000 long term care workers across California, we are taking advantage of every opportunity available to us to move our Justice Agenda. We unite other care givers and our communities to support our issues through organizing non-union caregivers, using our contract bargaining to raise standards, electing politicians that will demonstrate our values and act on our issues and through the legislative and state budget process where decisions get made on how the state will spend its resources.

President of SEIU 2015 Laphonza Butler Named Job Quality Fellow By Aspen Institute

CALIFORNIA – Today SEIU 2015’s President Laphonza Butler was named a Job Quality Fellow by the Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) at The Aspen Institute. The Job Quality Fellowship aims to support and strengthen the work of leaders dedicated to expanding access to and availability of better quality jobs in our economy with support from The Prudential Foundation and Ford Foundation.

Labor Day 2017: Building a 21st Century Labor Movement

Join us this Labor Day as we launch our Together We Rise campaign with events throughout the state! — This Labor Day is so much more than a celebration of what unions have represented in history but about how we also create the conditions for the workers of tomorrow. The labor movement that will be relevant for 21st century workers must be one that sits in unfamiliar spaces and helps find solutions for issues of worker justice, immigrant justice, restorative justice, environmental justice, and housing justice. Together we rise!

Certification of Election

Today, SEIU Local 2015’s Member Election Committee certified the election of our union Officers and Executive Board Delegates.  Congratulations to our union’s first Executive Board that will be sworn into office this fall.

Our Justice Agenda

SEIU 2015 is committed to a Justice Agenda that is not just about resisting the moment but investing in the future.

The Local 2015 Member Advisory Committee believes that our mission demands that we fight injustice where we see and experience it. We believe this mission calls on us to fight for our members and all one and a half million long term care workers in California who are not yet members of Local 2015 because all long term care work must be valued and respected.

Victory: Electronic Timesheet Services Now Available for IHSS Workers

Victory! Thanks to the hard work of SEIU 2015 members – 13 counties will now have the option for In-Home Supportive Services Providers (IHSS) to use Electronic Timesheets. Is your county on this list? Find out!

State Budget Victory for Long Term Care Workers

Thanks to the unity of our members across the state, we achieved incredible victories during this year’s state budget process. Thanks to your hard work, California’s 2018 budget was signed today by Governor Jerry Brown and is one that raises up our members, from Home care workers to Skilled Nursing Facility and Assisted Living Center workers. Together, we have amplified the voices and stories of caregivers, consumers, and patients throughout the halls of our state capitol.

June 20: National Call In Day — Your Voice can Save Millions of Lives by Stopping the Healthcare Repeal Bill in the Senate

Dear Brothers & Sisters —

Realizing that we could potentially lose our healthcare all because Republicans in Congress have decided that our health is worth sacrificing in order to give tax breaks to the wealthy is a hard pill to swallow.

However, our voices together can stop the Healthcare Repeal Bill in the Senate and save millions of lives. We can show Republicans what it means to be 325,000 caregivers strong!

Home Care Worker Reacts to Trumpcare: This Is Not What I Voted For

California –  Despite pleas from Americans across the country, today the House voted to approve the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and move forward a cruel Trumpcare Bill. A move which impacts over 24 million Americans as it seeks to gut protections for pre-existing conditions and eliminate services for people with special needs, among other things.

The Resistance is in the Actions We Take When Our Livelihood is at Stake. The Resistance is You, Me… We!

May Day is a day with a lot of significance, but this year I think it’s safe to say it was even more momentous. This year’s International Workers’ Day marked more than the progress of the labor movement and workers’ rights— it stood for the resistance and exemplified how we will continue to stand together, not divided.

An in-home care program for California’s elderly and disabled is constantly at the heart of budget battles. Here’s why

California’s program to provide in-home care for its low-income elderly and disabled residents finds itself once again at the heart of a state budget standoff.

It is familiar territory for the workers, advocates and administrators of the In-Home Supportive Services program. The current flare-up — between the state and county governments over how to divvy up IHSS costs — is the latest example of how California’s signature program, meant to keep people in their communities and out of nursing homes, has continually been the source of budget friction in recent years.

National Call-In Day

House Republicans could bring their disastrous healthcare repeal bill to a vote at any moment. Together, we can stop them and stop this healthcare disaster for working families, children, seniors and people with disabilities.

After Statewide Mobilization, Nursing Home Workers Head to Capitol to Advocate for Safe Staffing Standards at Nursing Homes

This week, nursing home workers throughout California have been participating in a Week of Action where they are looking to generate over 1,000 phone calls to Senators Bill Monning, Holly Mitchell, and Richard Pan urging them to support a budget proposal that would improve nursing home care standards which haven’t been reevaluated in almost two decades. Nursing home workers will also travel to Sacramento Thursday to attend the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services to continue advocating for an updated standard of care.

Nursing Home Workers to Picket 4 Windsor Healthcare Facilities Across California in Protest of Bad Bargaining Practices

SEIU Local 2015 nursing home workers will picket at four Windsor Healthcare Facilities across the state in protest of bad faith bargaining practices. Workers claim management is failing to bargain about livable wages, affordable health care coverage, and are participating in scare tactics, such as telling workers they will be fired, worker intimidation, and coercion. Workers and community allies will gather outside the Sacramento, Petaluma, Salinas, and Hayward facilities today to picket.

Olga Evans: Establish a cap on respite agencies’ administrative costs

You never think it will happen to you. But what happens when it does?

Nursing Home Workers to Picket 4 Windsor Healthcare Facilities Across California in Protest of Bad Bargaining Practices

SEIU Local 2015 nursing home workers will picket at four Windsor Healthcare Facilities across the state in protest of bad faith bargaining practices. Workers claim management is failing to bargain about livable wages, affordable health care coverage, and are participating in scare tactics, such as telling workers they will be fired, worker intimidation, and coercion. Workers and community allies will gather outside the Sacramento, Petaluma, Salinas, and Hayward facilities today to picket.

May Day 2017

On May 1, International Workers’ Day, people across the country will Rise Up! to resist President Trump’s mass deportation forces and oppose the current administration’s scapegoating of immigrant and refugee communities and their attempts to dismantle programs that benefit working families.

State of Resistance: Ten Californians Who Will Take on Trump

Meet the leaders of the West Coast resistance: Jerry Brown, Maria Elena Durazo, Kamala Harris, Julie Su, Xavier Becerra, Kevin de Leon & Anthony Rendon, Anthony Thigpenn, Tom Steyer, Laphonza Butler

State wants counties to pay more for in-home care

Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing shifting part of the burden of funding in-home care for low-income seniors and disabled people back to California’s counties, a move that the state acknowledges would likely cause the localities “financial hardship and cash flow problems.” The counties’ statewide association warns that this could force them to slash spending on other programs or services.

FAQ AB 1217

Tell Congress no new restrictions on IHSS!

Trump won. What’s Next?

SEIU Local 2015 hit the ground running in California this election and accomplished over 43,500 hours of voter contact, elected the first Indian American and second African American female into the U.S. Senate, and celebrated the successful passage of numerous ballot measures that address issues affecting working families. However, with a Trump Administration on the horizon, caregivers are asking, “What’s Next?”

Nursing Home Workers at Windsor Facilities throughout the State Call on Management to Treat Its Workers with Dignity and Respect

Nursing Home Workers at Windsor Facilities throughout the State Call on Management to Treat Its Workers with Dignity and Respect

Know your rights & DACA Q&A

iAmerica wants to be sure you know what your rights are if you are approached by police or ICE. Download these infographics to help you understand what your rights are and what to do in difference situations.

A DIVERSE COALITION DRIVEN BY WORKING FAMILIES DELIVERS HUGE WINS FOR PROGRESS & INCLUSION IN CALIFORNIA

In an election marked by divisiveness and bigotry, we set out to make California a beacon of hope and opportunity – and we succeeded.  Our 700,000 SEIU California members selected Kamala Harris, to be the first woman of color to represent California in the U.S. Senate, and we helped pass a slate of initiatives, 55, 56, 57, and 58, that will make real improvements in Californians’ lives.

Member Benefits

Check out the benefits exclusive to SEIU Local 2015 members!

SEIU Local 2015 provides easy-to-use benefit plans designed to help you and your family maintain better health.

Nursing homes: Quality staffing means quality care

In the past decade, California has invested billions in improving nursing home care, yet for too many nursing home residents that investment hasn’t amounted to any improvement at all in the quality of the care they receive. According to nursing home caregivers of SEIU Local 2015, the dollars haven’t consistently translated into improved staffing levels.

Aixamar Ruiz – NH Worker (Anaheim, CA)

My name is Aixamar Ruiz. I am currently a nursing home worker in Anaheim, CA. I came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 1999. I came to this country to seek a better life. My dream since I was in Venezuela has always been to be a nurse. I feel a lot of satisfaction in being able to help another human being. It is very rewarding but not everyone has the heart for it.

National day of action shows the power of a union

Lifting up 6 Million Californians

Income inequality is the defining issue of our time. While the economic recovery continues, all gains are concentrated at the top. Most California workers – those in the lower and middle income levels – are not reaping our share of the growth. We are more productive, better trained, and better skilled than we have ever been. Yet, our wages have been stagnant for over a decade. Inflation, health care and housing costs, food and gas have all eaten away at whatever raises we have earned.

Delegate Election Ballot Info

Ballots for Local 2015’s delegate election for the 2016 SEIU Convention have been mailed. All ballots are due back by 10am on April 14. They MUST be mailed AND received by 10am on April 14 to be counted. Any member in good standing who has not received their ballot in the mail or who has lost their ballot may call 888-317-1906 to request that a replacement ballot be sent to them.

CA Legislature Approves Bills Taxing Health Plans

The Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax was approved yesterday with bipartisan support.

2016 Leadership Conference

Nearly 2,000 long term care providers gathered today at the Los Angeles convention Center to discuss the future of long term care and engage in key conversations around the key issues that disproportionately impact low income and communities of color. Caregivers had the opportunity to converse, organize, and discuss how these various issues directly impact their communities.

Support

Have a question related to SEIU Local 2015? Our support team at the Member Action Center (MAC) is here to answer it for you. Whether it’s about your contract, your benefits or your job, we can help.

SEIU Local 2015 Wants You!

The services provided by long term caregivers like you are invaluable. You are an integral part of the health care system in this country and your role will be even more important in the coming years.

We Care Nursing Homes

Nursing home workers provide some of the most important services in the entire health care system. They comfort our elderly and disabled friends and relatives and keep them safe. But they are often faced with challenging circumstances due to understaffing, poor management and inadequate pay and benefits.