One driving factor in our campaign to protecting Fresno County home care workers, especially during our week-long GOTV push, is our total commitment to reach every SEIU UHW home care member.
Just ask Healthcare Illinois Member Organizer Sandra Lockette, who knows that every vote counts. She spent a lot of time in northwest Indiana last fall, helping Barack Obama eke out a narrow victory in the historically Republican-leaning state.
In Fresno, and armed with her water bottles and walk sheet, Sandra was ready for day 5 of our union's GOTV drive.
And Those Walk Sheets? They Didn't Appear by Magic
Valerie Anderson Webb can attest to that.
"There were just a handful of us back in February," Valerie said. "And we had to start building a union, building the records from the ground up."
She and her coworkers went out day after day on house visits, telling members about SEIU UHW and building their contact lists. It was an effort to both educate the members and conduct an accurate census. "They had been ignored so long - many of them didn't even know they were in a union. It was a big job"
But, little by little, day in and day out, the number of contacts grew.
"Ben Tracy and Stacey Peterson were just great!" Valerie marveled. "Especially when we got more help and we started to reach more and more members. They just kept digging in, updating the lists, and helping us have what we needed to keep going"
Ben was a lead organizer from Healthcare Illinois & Indiana and has been in California since January. "The records were a mess. It soon became clear that the old leaders had ignored nearly 7,000 of their members; 3,000 only received occasional mailers, and 4,000 low-hour home care workers were largely ignored."
No one even knew how members should be listed. No one knew who spoke languages other than English because that information wasn't recorded. In fact, the Spanish-language list and much of the Hmong list weren't completed until last week, and the data and organizing teams are still working on Lao, Cambodian, Russian and four other language groups.
"The contrast was stunning" Ben said. "We visited 8,000 workers before the GOTV blitz and the former leaders had ignored 7,000 of them for years. How can you get someone to vote for you after ignoring them so long?"
The data team kept growing the lists and worked with SEIU technical specialists to work the information into easily usable formats. That work would become ever more important as the massive GOTV kick off approached. Nearly 1,000 SEIU activists poured into Fresno County, and each soon had a walk sheet with compact, easy-to-understand routes to canvass. Then, each night, after volunteers returned with their collected reports, the walk lists were pared down, tightened.
The first days of the massive, county-wide push became a targeted precision exercise to reach remaining voters. But it's turning into much more as the first week winds down. Now, SEIU UHW members are going back to those who already voted to ask them to get active in fighting the draconian budget cuts politicians are trying to impose.
And what does Valerie think about it all? "This past week has been awesome. It's like one of your babies that you watch grow and come of age. I arrived here February 2 and then there were just a few of us and no records to work with. Then there were 30 in March. And now this - hundreds and hundreds. It's just amazing."
Valerie will remain in Fresno for another two weeks. After all, there are still more votes to be cast. More members to be contacted. More work to be done and a union to rebuild.
Valerie Anderson Webb is a Home care worker from Spokane Washington. She has been in Fresno County since February 2nd.
Neither Rain Nor Sleet, Nor...
At 2 a.m. Friday morning, even Mother Nature discovered that the crack SEIU UHW data team was unstoppable. The graveyard shift had been working for several hours to prepare the walk sheets for the next day. Then thunder and lightning struck in the dead of early morning, knocking out power at their worksite and the surrounding neighborhood.
It was a roller coaster ride for Member Organizer Rene Valdez. "When it first happened, everything looked so bleak - like there was no hope."
Frantic calls immediately went out for laptops with AirCards (devices that can provide wireless web access when there are no nearby hot spots or cable connections available) and cell phones with light options that could shine a dim but usable glow on laptop keyboards. A hand cranked, wind-up flashlight was even called into service.
Finally, by 9 a.m. and under the most difficult of circumstances, the data team had gotten the job done. One hundred Spanish language and 200 English turf routes were delivered to Fresno canvassers who were counting on the information to do their work. Shortly afterward, updated lists were sent to SEIU UHW walkers in distant Firebaugh and Mendota.
Many of the new routes were specifically for home care workers who had already voted. These members would be the first recruited for phone calls and letter writing programs to legislators and county commissioners to fight the budget cuts - and to sign up workers to attend a Tuesday June 9 rally prior to the next Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting.
"It was just this big sense of accomplishment," Rene said. "Everyone just pulled together to get the job done. Everyone felt good and it sure was a relief."
The data team would have like to provide some good pictures of the all night effort, but there was this wee problem with the lights...
LA Members from ULTCW: Here Before, During and After the Blitz
A small, but powerful strike force of Los Angeles County Member Organizers - members of SEIU ULTCW, has been in Fresno County since February fighting for SEIU UHW home care workers. Educating members, attending Fresno County Board of Supervisor meetings with them, and anchoring this week's GOTV effort, the LA team has made a lasting difference for home care members long ignored by prior UHW leaders.
"We came to activate home care workers to take hold of their union, SEIU UHW," said Mary Gillon, a home care worker from San Bernardino. "False promises were circulated, and we came to educate workers with the truth. It makes sense that they also hear about other issues, like budget cuts, from other members."
LA County caregiver Michelle Reed has been knocking on doors for over four months, talking to Fresno County workers. "They know how serious this is. One member told me that he might gamble a chicken or two, but he WILL NOT gamble the farm."
The LA Strike Force members will be here for another two weeks helping Fresno workers move to the next phase of rebuilding their union.
"They do not want to give up their union." Michelle Reed added. "And this is only the half of it. We have galvanized leaders who want to take on Schwarzenegger and proposed budget cuts. We have brought back home care workers to UHW in more ways than one. It's really been rewarding."
Pamela Hale, Michelle Reed, Frederick Lee, Mary Gillon, Shanisha Robinson
New Video: "Ophelia's Story"
Hear directly from one SEIU UHW member who would not be cowed into voting against her union. They took her ballot but not her spirit.
As Fresno home care workers continue to receive and complete their ballots, SEIU members are hearing more and more positive responses. Sergio Martinez, a Fresno home care worker who cares for his father said, "I already voted for SEIU UHW because I think this is the best union for us. We need a strong union and SEIU has been around for years--why change now for the unknown? My father was a farm worker with Cesar Chavez, and I'm a strong union supporter. I was raised in a union family, so SEIU UHW is my choice."]]>
SEIU UHW members from Kaiser have helped lead the charge this week to protect Fresno home care members from cuts to their wages and hours, and to help them stick together in a strong union. Nearly 60 members who work at Kaiser facilities all over California turned out to meet with workers and help get ballots in the mail.
But then, he decided to help out in his own backyard and went directly to his neighbor, home care worker Mavis Crowson, to check it out.
"The County only gave me 2 ½ hours a day to take care of my mother, even though the doctor says we need more," Gogi said. "Before this, I took care of my dad and I've been doing this since about 1996. It's really hard. But I need to take care of my mom."
"We don't let that bother us though. We know how important this is to our home care members in California. We'll find a way to reach them," said Alicia Treadwell, an SEIU home care member from Milwaukee.
"But sometimes a worker's family members are home, and we get a chance to talk to them. Family often thank us for making the effort, and tell us they'll pass on the message. Of course, we're still going to come back when the member is home," assured Airenna Simmons, an SEIU home care member from Detroit.
"Well, the dog made me nervous, but the woman at the door verified I had the right place. When I called the member on the phone, he said he was an SEIU UHW supporter and would be back at 3 this afternoon. You just have to stick with it. I'll reach all the members on my list," she said. 
