SEIU 2015 President Arnulfo De La Cruz sits down with former U.S. Senator and SEIU 2015 founding President Laphonza Butler to celebrate a decade of care, victories like the Fight for $15, and what’s next for California’s caregivers.
Transcript
Arnulfo De La Cruz: Welcome to Who Cares! a podcast by SEIU 2015. I’m your host, Arnulfo De La Cruz, President of SEIU 2015, the largest union of long term care workers in the country. We represent over half a million caregivers in California who show up every single day to care for older adults and people with disabilities. Today, we have a very special episode for our listeners. We’re celebrating the 10 year anniversary of SEIU 2015, a decade of organizing, winning and showing the world what worker power looks like, and we’re doing it with someone who means so much to the members of SEIU 2015, to the labor movement and to our communities that we call home. Someone who helped to build this house and this union, someone I consider a personal friend, also a predecessor of mine, but most importantly, someone who’s beloved by the family of SEIU 2015. A national leader in the labor and political space, the one and only Senator Laphonza Butler.
Laphonza Butler: Thanks for having me, Arnulfo.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: Absolutely. Senator Butler is the former President of SEIU 2015, the past president of Emily’s List, and, of course, the former US Senator for California. She’s a lifelong fighter for working people and a proud care champion. Welcome home!
Laphonza Butler: It’s good to be back! It’s hard to think about that it’s been 10 years since we did the work with the members all across the state to create our local and so it’s–I’m glad to be asked to join at such a special time.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: So grateful to have you and, to our listeners, when Laphonza was serving as President of SEIU 2015, she had this incredible idea that–by the way, I still get members almost weekly to remind me–of the listening tour where, under President Butler, at that time’s leadership, we visited, I think, 42 counties.
One of the moments that I cherish most is listening to you tell your story, kind of what inspired you to be the person and the type of leader that you are. Before we talk policy or power, usually we start this podcast talking to people about your care story. I’d like to start there, and just was wondering if you could share perhaps your caregiving story: maybe a time when you provided care for someone or someone close to you was a caregiver, and what did that experience teach you on what was to follow?
Laphonza Butler: Yeah, you know, Arnulfo, it’s again such a pleasure to be able to spend time with you and hopefully with the the members who will listen to this podcast, who might not have heard my story when I was leading the union, and so much of of what I was able to bring to SEIU 2015 and the members and staff there was was really grounded In my own experience as a as a young person.
My mother worked as my father’s caregiver. By the time I was 15 years old, my father passed away of heart disease. He had had six heart attacks, he’d had a stroke, he had had angioplasty. And the whole while, I watched my mom do the kind of work that the members of SEIU Local 2015 do every single day. In addition to being my father’s caregiver at home, there was a period in my life where she was a CNA in a nursing facility. I remember being in the third grade, and my mom worked the overnight shift–the 11 to 7. And she would get home in time enough to walk me and my brother to the to the crosswalk.
And so much of what I saw her go through as a healthcare worker that didn’t have health care, as a caregiver, who gave of herself every single day, but felt like so many people didn’t see her as a human being, as a contributor to her community. It really grounded how I thought about and was able to engage authentically with the members of SEIU 434 then ULTCW and, you know, what became SEIU Local 2015. And I think we were able to bond and truly build connection from that space of really me growing up as the child of a caregiver and understanding so much, not just what the members themselves were going through, but what their kids were going through.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: I’m glad you referenced kind of some of the early days you led this union, essentially from its founding. I’d like to take folks back perhaps a couple steps. And how did SEIU 2015 come to be? What were some of the early fights? Like, we do continue to talk about Verdia Daniels and Ophelia McFadden and specifically the black woman leadership as foundational in our local and so many others. But what did it mean to unite so many caregivers under one banner, and you being someone who saw much of that journey?
Laphonza Butler: Yeah, you know it is–it’s quite awesome to think about when you’re able to really appreciate the power of everyday people choosing to do something extraordinary. The organizers of early organizers of the home care movement in SEIU were, you know, my predecessor, leaders in SEIU, talking about leaders like David Roth and Kirk Adams and Andy Stern, right? All folks who were on the ground in Los Angeles and throughout California and really trying to help home care workers win their voice and to be able to fight for their patients and clients and community members. And it was early 12, I believe, 12 long years of organizing and trying to find a way with the California legislature that led to the creation of 434B, the first Los Angeles home care workers union.
But then, you know, once that was able to take place, home care workers across the state were able to organize in different local unions all all across the state and different international unions, both SEIU and AFSCME, and over the years, I think what the early leaders of our Union came to learn, and really what was inspired by the members on the ground in California, was that their true power was being united into one union, Not being divided into 58 different counties, but being united into one in one union, they really could leverage their the power of their voices and the patients and clients that they serve to really create long, lasting change. And make these jobs that would be family-sustaining, to be able to win true health insurance and wage increases.
And I had the opportunity to come and be a part of what was united Long Term Care Workers West, and to be able to work with leaders like Louisa blue, who was the leader of SEIU Local five to one who had home care workers and work with leaders like Dave Reagan, UHW President, to be able to and to work with Doug Moore, the leader of the AFSCME union that represented home care workers as well, to create a shared vision with the members across the state. They really acknowledge the power that they had when they were able to unify and be under one banner of caregivers and building a true caregivers union that was led by the voices, hopes, dreams, wishes, desires and courage of caregivers.
And so being able to do that really was a special opportunity, a special responsibility, one that had been years in the making. Not without its bumps and bruises along the way, I made mistakes and didn’t always get it right, but I could always count on the members to support me and to lift me up and to pull us all through the building of the Union.
Having traveled to all of those counties, learn not just about our blue cities, but about our Red counties, to learn about what the contract and bargaining strong contracts actually means to members of SEIU Local 2015 who identify as Democrats and those who identify as Republicans and independents and everything in between. And so the power of building SEIU Local 2015 really stemmed from the desires of the members, the leadership of our unions, and I think the vision that was about winning across the state, not just in the counties that they may have had the resources to put into a contract.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: Thank you so much. It’s such a fascinating history of struggle and perseverance and staying inspired to continue to keep building. And I’m grateful just to be a very small part of a piece of that journey with you, and I know that perhaps some folks listening were with you every step of the way. We still have some leaders in the union who remind me a lot of the big moments that they were with you as a part of this journey. And I was just curious, maybe, if you could share maybe some of the biggest challenges or triumphs in those early years. Are there any moments that still stick with you?
Laphonza Butler: Arnulfo, there are so many moments that stick with me. I find myself, no matter the situation I have been in or who it is that I might be speaking to, whether you know, when I was the president of Emily’s List, when I, you know, served in the United States Senate, I told the story of home care workers. I told the story of nursing home workers, and the experiences that we had had, most of those we were winning. Some of those, we had some setbacks. Being able to share with my colleagues in different work environments the courage of home care and nursing home workers, caregivers, men and women who just do incredible things and taught me so much about organizing.
There’s so many moments that I can think of. You know, I think about my first time bargaining, the Los Angeles County contract when Gloria Molina, Zev Yaroslavsky–all were still a part of the LA County Board of Supervisors. Mike Antonovich, it was it could have been, it was a really intimidating space to be in as a 29 year old.
And I remember Reverend Chip Murray from FAME, who was there on behalf of our home care workers, who, you know just sort of looked me in my eye. We were on the same panel that was testifying before the Board of Supervisors, but who you know could tell I was a little afraid. He looked me in my eye, and he said, “You just know that you’re doing God’s work, and your members are doing God’s work, and we’re here doing the right thing, and you say what you have to say, and don’t let anybody back you down.”
We did win the contract that we wanted that day, but from that day forward, I knew that those members were really part a part of their community, and they had won the hearts and minds of not only clergy icons like Chip Murray, but but really had earned the respect of county supervisors who who appreciated the work that they did and the contributions they made. And you know, we were able to win in that year the largest single contract increase that they had ever won since they organized the union, and that laid the groundwork for the next contract that really became a part of the national Fight for $15.
And so there’s so many victories and challenges, Arnulfo. But, but that one is one that that really does stick out for me, having a leader like Chip Murray, you know, encourage you and put his hand at your back and tell you how you know you have something to say and and these folks are going to listen was is one that definitely stand stands out for me
Arnulfo De La Cruz: In the 10 years that we’ve launched as a union, it’s been pretty incredible to see what the union has been able to accomplish: raising wages in dozens of counties, expanding Medi-Cal, securing PPE, investments in the body of work that the Union did during the COVID pandemic, passing historic bills like AB 283 statewide bargaining for home care, and then, just most recently, being in a position to fight back some pretty terrible budget cuts to both IHSS and nursing homes. Are there any other victories that stand out to you most, or perhaps ones that felt like turning points in the movement for caregivers?
Laphonza Butler: You know, the one of the things that I think about often in my time as president, Arnulfo, one of the things that our members taught me was that I needed to look at them as whole people who lived whole lives. And as much as they were proud members of SEIU 2015 that fought for strong contracts and better benefits and giving them a voice on issues like retirement in healthcare, you know, it was talking with our members around issues of quality public education and criminal justice reform that you know, really do stand out to me in some of some of the most impactful work.
That I was able to stand next to the members of 2015 to do when it came down to making taxes fairer in California, when the state was facing such a large deficit. It was not just about the wages, the money that could be put into wages for home care workers. But it was about, you know, making sure that more resources were going to public education. It was a part of, you know, fighting for infrastructure investment in the state, into our local cities and towns that reminded me that our caregivers definition of health and safety also included the quality of sidewalks that they had to walk on when they were taking their clients out for exercise or they were taking them to the local grocery store.
And so I think a lot about the role that SEIU Local 2015 played in those kinds of pieces of bodies of work, pieces of legislation, even initiatives our members were ,I learned, really exercised around the environmental justice and living in communities where, you know, battery waste was being buried and dumped in their communities, and being able to raise our banner on an issue like environmental cleanup was were real moments of pride for me and I think for our union. It was the unexpected power of coalition building and togetherness that I think really helped to validate the voices of caregivers in spaces where they just hadn’t had an avenue to participate before.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: I’m reminded that when you inspired us to go on this listening tour, we heard so much back other than what many may consider kind of the bread and butter, union issues, wages, benefits, working conditions, and I think your vision to remind us that caregivers are also members of their community, right? They’re having to deal with these issues that you just mentioned on a daily basis, and as we build our union strong, we would frankly be remiss not to address these things at the same time.
So that vision that you had now had us in involved in things like affordable housing that we had very little experience around, is a union restorative justice, as you mentioned, environmental justice. And I just you know, we’re so appreciative that we actually are in spaces now where we get to work on these things that are incredibly impactful for our members, because it wasn’t too long ago that we weren’t necessarily so engaged in these issues that are so impactful to our members. So just really appreciate you sharing that history.
One of the biggest moments of the past decade has been the Fight for $15, and the Fight for $15 has your name all over it. I still remember the day I think that it was signed, and you were right next to the governor when it was being signed, and I saw a smile on your face, but it was the smile that you often have, where it was a reflection of a moment that was bigger than just you and you understanding that what we had just done was going to impact 6 million working people in California.
And so you were one of the earliest voices pushing for the $15 an hour minimum wage, and I just remember thinking, what an incredible idea. I’m not certain that as a labor movement, we’ve gotten to a point of understanding the significance of that strategy. We bargain for our members’ contracts, and that’s incredibly important. But are we missing the boat if our vision is not broad enough to think about–what could we do that would have an impact to working people beyond just the members of the union? And what that means, ultimately, to build power for not just our members, but all working people. And I think this was an incredible example of that.
And so what inspired you to call for that? What was your inspiration to envision a different outcome for the minimum wage in California? And also, maybe, how did people react at the time? Because I’m sure, as I recall when it first started being announced, some people obviously were incredibly excited, but my understanding is that there’s also a lot of resistance.
Laphonza Butler: I would be remiss if I didn’t start this conversation by acknowledging that airport workers in Seattle. They were the first to make such a bold declaration become reality. And the leadership of the members of SEIU 775, who were willing to put their resources on the line for workers who were not members of their union, but to test the theory of doing work and having a broad declaration and a bold statement. And could we organize people around it. And so David Rolfe and the members of SEIU 775 really got the conversation, you know, moved the idea of a $15 minimum wage from conversation to implementation.
And then I would say, came the opportunity for California. And folks will recall and should be reminded, it really was one of those all hands-on-deck, take little steps to get to big steps kind of of strategies. And so, appreciating that that it was the cities that actually were the beginning of the conversation, moving from just discussion to action, cities like Richmond and Oakland and San Francisco and Berkeley, those cities where, you know, we felt like we needed to demonstrate that there was a willingness to meet the demand and and it really came down to political courage.
And so when the coalition was able to get itself established, to then move to a larger city like like Los Angeles, where the politics was a little bit different, and the environment to get into a $15 minimum wage was going to present itself as more challenging just because of the size of the city of Los Angeles, you know, being able to work together with Rusty Hicks, who then was the leader, leader of the LA County Labor Federation, and build an unlikely coalition of, you know, small business owners and nonprofit associations, and having the testimony of the local dry cleaners–they came and talked about in City Hall chambers what it would mean for them to be able to pay a $15 minimum wage and to attract and retain good work and workers and provide a higher standard of living for for their employees. It was an incredible feat to get the $15 minimum wage passed in the city of Los Angeles.
We then went to the county of Los Angeles, and then we went to a statewide posture, working with my colleagues in SEIU and across the labor movement in Sacramento to put together with the California Labor Federation a ballot measure and get in conversation with the governor and the legislature, Speaker Rendon and others about about how we can move this faster legislatively and not delay and have to have people to wait another year and a half, potentially for for a ballot measure to pass.
You know, it was one of the things that was in that bill that was specific to caregivers, and sometimes gets gets lost in the conversation, is that prior to that time, caregivers in California had no paid time off, and we wanted to get sick days, and we had tried to get it through the legislature with then Senate Pro Tem leader, Darrell Steinberg, and I would get on the calls with our members and have to, like have them talk me through hard decisions about where we were with the legislature, but then we had this opportunity to make the $15 minimum wage possible statewide, and we put on the table very clearly and with great boldness that we wanted To use this opportunity to get caregivers paid time off.
And I remember being in the governor’s office, and his team, Nancy McFadden and his budget leader, were saying, nope, the governor is not going to do it. And I walked away from the table. The entire state council walked away from the bargaining table. We’re like, we’re not comprising–not on behalf of caregivers, not on the backs of caregivers anymore. Are we going to be compromising? And the staff we were with, the staff were really, really afraid that the governor was going to like, walk away from the deal.
Hour past, two hours past, no call, no call. And then the governor staff eventually called back and said, Okay, Governor’s going to give home care workers paid time off. And you know, I still find great fondness in that story and lessons in that experience, times when I can hear the voices of the members of Local 2015 who have put it all on the line for the city of Los Angeles and the county of Los Angeles.
None of those wage orders actually changed their paycheck. It wasn’t until we were able to do it at the state level that home care workers were going to be impacted. And the fact that the Governor’s team initially wanted caregivers to sacrifice again, but that our members had the wherewithal to put their hand at my back, just like Chip Murray did that first time in Los Angeles, put their hand at my back and say, No, President Butler, you hold firm. There’s so many high quality lessons that I’ve learned from these members that have not only changed my life, changed their life, but changed the lives of as you noticed, six million Californians, and the ability for caregivers to be able to have a day to take care of themselves.
That’s life changing impact, and I am so grateful for the courage of the members of 2015 to be able to stick with it to you know, find to understand that there was a strategy to what we were doing, that there was a method to our madness, and the first attempts didn’t really impact their wages, their paychecks, but if they stuck with it, if they invested in their neighbors, if they, you know, came out and turned out and put their political capital on the line for their communities, that we would get there. And they stuck with it and they made those investments, and we got there, and it’s one of the proudest moments, I think, that I’ll ever have as a part of the labor movement–to be the first state to move to a statewide $15 minimum wage. To be a small part of that was it’s just an incredible experience filled with so many lessons along the way, but definitely great partners to do it with as well.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: Senator, that’s a golden nugget of California labor history. I hadn’t heard that full story. What an incredible story that you just shared with our folks listening. Well, maybe we have union members signing up today who don’t know that the leadership that you provided in that moment, the courage that you got from our members helped to establish a $15 an hour minimum wage and sick days for caregivers in California is just really remarkable.
And you know, as we think in this moment around the enforcement actions on immigration, the threats to how low income or Americans receive health care through Medicaid–what does the Fight for $15 story say about now?
Laphonza Butler: Great question. I think what that experience of the California Labor Movement and states across the country who were subsequently able to do and I think the leadership of the members in 2015 and SEIU and local 775, and other unions that joined the broader movement, the folks who made it happen in New York, in the state of New York, and who invested to help people, help workers in states like Arkansas, who raised their minimum wage around the same time this movement–I think what it should inspire us to remember, even as times of despair come upon us, that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be distracted from the true power that we really have.
In so many ways, Arnulfo, it’s by design that workers are facing so many of these attacks–it is not an accident. It is happening on purpose to test the will of our communities to truly stand together, and what the $15 minimum wage fight and movement has, at least, was a takeaway and a lesson from for me, was that there is nothing that we can imagine, that we can’t accomplish if we choose to do it together.
And that’s the hard part. There’s always an attempt to divide, because one family may speak a different language than another, or come from a different country than another, or have a different religious practice than another because of them, it’s their fault that you don’t have what you need. But that is a message that is a lie on its face.
And the $15 minimum wage movement, really, I think, showed us the power of rejecting those lies and choosing to unify with our neighbors, because it’s our differences that make the bills stronger, that make the process better, that make the idea sharper. One of the proudest practices that I think the members put in place at Local 2015 was to make sure that people who spoke a different language could still participate in the union. And when we started doing all of our meetings in eight languages, and started having, you know, all of our materials translated it, I think fundamentally changed the dynamic and the relationship between members who spoke monolingual Spanish and members who spoke monolingual Cantonese fundamentally change the relationship, because they could understand each other. And most importantly, they could understand that they have so much in common. And to me, that’s the lesson of the Fight for $15 movement, that we can do hard things when we choose to do them together.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: Yeah, that’s wonderful. And, you know, those are incredible lessons, I think, for the labor movement, for us as leaders, for our members, that there’s nothing that we can accomplish if we can imagine it and dream it.
And I think this is just such a beautiful example: those victories, the moment that you were in, the courage and the leadership that you provided with the strength of our members to get those things done, is, I think, inspiring and a good reminder of us not falling short and dreaming something big, even as difficult in the moment is that we’re in.
Fast forwarding. Today, California finds ourselves in a difficult financial situation. There’s a lot of experts who will say that it’s a number of different things right, including many of the ill advised policies coming out of Washington. But in the end, we are faced with the budget. Governor Newsom’s budget proposes deep cuts to long term care, including IHSS overtime, the increasingly difficult Medi-Cal eligibility and the funding for it, and then also nursing home oversight. They’re all on the proverbial chopping block, so to speak.
What gives me confidence is the stories that our members share to our elected leaders about what these programs mean for them, for their ability to care, for their children, for their clients, what this means for the future of care and how people age in California. I think these are all very critical. You know, this is a critical moment, and the stakes are high. How do we keep pushing back when political leaders will try to balance the budgets on the backs of caregivers?
Laphonza Butler: The powerful thing I think that the members who are moving the union forward, and members and leaders who are in charge of stewarding this great asset that is 2015–I think the power that you have is the experience in knowing that you’ve done it before. So often we find ourselves in situations that–and we forget, we lose the muscle memory that we have–oh, we have come through hard things before. This is not the first time that California, the state, has found itself in a budget deficit. This is not the first governor who has proposed disrespectful–I don’t know what other way to put it!–unfortunate cuts on caregivers, programs and systems. This is not the first legislature that didn’t have all of the answers and this is not the only time, the first time, nor will it be the last time that the union, the strength of the Union, the power of the Union, the unity of the Union, will be put to test.
And there are solutions we always find, working with legislative leadership, and sometimes working to elect new legislative leadership. This is not the first time that we always find solutions, working with the governor and potentially having to find a new governor. That is the strength of 2015, and caregivers, more generally, is that every pathway is hard. Every pathway to building our union was one that was filled with challenges and obstacles. The pathway to winning healthcare coverage for the first time was filled with challenges and obstacles.
And everybody always said there was no money. And when our members say to legislators, you know, “Show me your budget, I’ll show you your values.” That is a real statement. And we can’t sit in Sacramento and say, “we value caregivers and we value the patients for whom they are providing care,” and then take the proposed policies that would take their wages back to, you know, the days of not being allowed to have overtime. We were able to make it through a COVID pandemic when nursing homes were so fraught. And then you say you want to have less oversight in nursing homes.
I think this is an opportunity, and there will continue to be opportunities and moments in time where leaders, stewards of this great asset, will have to rely on what they know to be true, that they have the power to change it. They have the unity and intellect in their union to find alternatives and different pathways, and ultimately, they have the ability to vote, to vote for the kind of elected representatives whose budget actually reflect their values.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: To get to those situations, we really do need to have people who are courageous, right? And it starts with us as a union and our members continuing to advocate for a better future.
Talking about the future you’ve now led at the state level, the national political level, and in the United States Senate–and there’s not a day that doesn’t go by, by the way, not just me, but many others say we just hope that we get a call from Laphonza that she is going to continue to lead people in some way. Because you have an incredible gift for leading, and I know that it’s really guided by your values and who you are, but you mean so much, you continue to mean so much for our members for the labor movement.
Where do you see the labor movement headed? I think especially for caregivers. I know that we’re living in really difficult times with a lot of uncertainty. Maybe you could just share a little bit about what gives you hope. What do you think the labor movement or caregivers union should be preparing for, you know, in the next 10 years or so?
Laphonza Butler: On the horizon for both caregivers and for the labor movement generally, is the continued evolution of technology. And how do we position ourselves, our members, our communities, to be at the cutting edge of that so that we are prepared for those evolutions, for the deployment of artificial intelligence. How do we take advantage of it so that it works for every every member? Whether they speak English or as a primary language of Spanish or Vietnamese, and making sure that whatever technological advancements are coming, that they take into consideration a human work that is required as a part of being a caregiver, and across different industries, sort of beyond caregiving as well.
And so I hope that this union, this union labor movement, is doing a couple of things. One, looking at technology to find opportunities and identify challenges so that we can get ahead of them. The second thing is, I would hope that today’s labor movement in the next you know, is looking to the horizon for young workers. There’s a generation of workers and worker leaders that are being shaped and developed by these times, and there is a wealth of talent.
I spent my entire Senate service talking to young leaders across the state of California, and they are ready to lead. And I think the labor movement tendency sometimes to be filled with leaders who, have you know, remained in positions of leadership for decades. We’d be wise to start to make succession plans and to bring in those new generations of workers and worker leaders.
And the last thing, if I were to say one other, Arnulfo, is don’t forget about the Midwest and the South, the working families who have lost so much in the Midwest and those who never had the opportunity to be a part of the union in states like Alabama and Mississippi and Georgia and North Carolina, I think I know that it is difficult, and that many unions have tried, but I just would ask us to not give up on those regions of the country and those workers and working families where we’re going to see a resurgence of manufacturing and semiconductor development and clean energy industries that begin to emerge alongside our traditional industries in farming and agriculture. Let’s not forget to that those workers need the power to change their lives too.
Arnulfo De La Cruz:
Oh, wow. I think the beautiful thing about a podcast is, if this was a situation where I was having to take notes, I would feel bad, because I may have missed all of these incredible suggestions. As I and other leaders, and with our members, think about a future of care in a country that we can be proud of and just appreciate you sharing some of these big questions of our times and how we grapple with them and use them as we continue to build power.
The other thing I just wanted to share, Laphonza: when I had the privilege of working with you, I was a young father. I want to say we were both young parents, so to speak, and our children weren’t that far away in age, and at that time in the labor movement, I wasn’t used to working with people maybe my age with children helping to lead the union. And I just I’m so grateful that I felt like you allowed me to feel I could be proud as a dad and be proud working for the Union as I was struggling in a balance both of those responsibilities. I still haven’t completely figured it out, but just so appreciative of you saying that this was a union that was welcoming to families and that we had to build power as families and individuals together, and just really grateful for those lessons that you taught many of us when we had the opportunity to work with you in the union.
We’re going to do a quick fire round, if you will. This is supposed to be a little bit cute, but just a few rapid questions. One word to describe SEIU 2015?
Laphonza Butler: Courageous.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: One win that still makes you tear up?
Laphonza Butler: Sick days.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: One message we give to the next generation of worker leaders.
Laphonza Butler: Never give up.
Arnulfo De La Cruz: There you have it, folks. Senator Laphonza Butler, thank you so much for joining us and for everything you build–we’re walking on the path that you’ve helped to pave.
To our listeners, SEIU 2015 has spent 10 beautiful years organizing, mobilizing, struggling and winning, and in many ways, we’re just getting started. You’ve just heard from the Senator, the things that we need to be considering to build a future of care that we can be proud of, and that meets the needs, not just of caregivers, but of the folks that our caregivers care for in America and in California, the fight for care, justice, for living, wages, for respect, is ongoing, and we need every listener with us, join us, speak out, take action.
Visit SEIU2015.org to learn how you can get involved. And if you’re a caregiver, know that you are not alone. You are part of something very powerful. And I also just wanted to close: Senator Laphonza and I know that our advisory committee members, in the early days of local 2015, our members and staff and many others, Laphonza, is a quote that you always used to share with us–I think you attributed it to John Quincy Adams–but that till this day, the member leaders of our union have never forgot and can say it word for word.
It’s, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
So Senator Laphonza Butler, again, really appreciate you joining and so grateful that you could spend time with our listeners today. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other and we’ll see you next time.