Dinnertime comes again at the home of Carlos and Mikesha Martinez.

Just two years ago, life was much different.

"She was going to school for physical therapy. She used to work at Gottschalks. She used to be the girl who put the displays in the windows and everything," Carlos said.

At the age of 28, Mikesha fell into a diabetic coma.

His wife facing death, Carlos quit his job; put his studies as a doctoral candidate on hold and became a full-time in-home care provider for the woman he'd married nine years earlier.

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Fresno, CA--Representatives and supporters of the more than 12,000 families who rely on In-Home Support Services to care for elderly or disabled loved ones will hold a vigil on Tuesday at noon out side of the Fresno Board of Supervisors meeting as the clock ticks down to the July 1st deadline for dangerous home care cuts to go into effect. Clients and family members fear that the lower wages will force workers to find new jobs forcing their loved ones into institutions.

Carlos Martinez whose 29-year old wife is recovering from a diabetic coma, said in court filings "I am very concerned that I will be unable to replace my wife's IHSS providers if they quit. I do not know how I would provide the care that she needs in order to remain at home if I could not find IHSS providers for all of my wife's authorized hours. I am very worried about the possibility that I might have to put my wife in some kind of institutional care if I could not replace her IHSS providers."

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.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS in the effort to protect Fresno home care workers from budget cuts, and from outsiders who are trying to divide workers. So SEIU members are making sure that every member's voice is heard and every ballot is counted. From southeast Fresno to Firebaugh to Riverdale, we're making sure every vote counts.

The largest GOTV drive in Home Care election history achieved its goal effective 5 p.m. this evening, Friday, June 5. More than 5,000 Fresno County caregivers - exceeding half of all eligible voters - have pledged support to defend their union, SEIU UHW, against a decertification threat.

"I could see it coming all week," said Member Organizer Shanisha Robinson of Local 6434. "Nine out of every ten members I talked to voted to keep SEIU UHW. And that's the same message I heard from everybody on my team."

SEIU Executive Vice President and Director of Organizing Tom Woodruff, in Fresno to support the campaign, lauded the effort. "This election and these results harken back to the great struggles of the 30s when labor firmly established itself as a force for positive change in America. This is the kind of effort we need to use in our fights to win healthcare for all, achieve card check recognition for the unorganized, and in our broader fight to win economic justice for everyone in the country."

SEIU UHW Trustee Dave Regan praised the enormous effort put forth by the nearly 1,000 SEIU members and activists who came to Fresno. "I made one promise when we kicked off this drive on Monday. I said that we would win this election to protect Fresno County Home Care workers. We have delivered on that promise. The election is virtually over tonight."

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."

Fresno, CA -Arguing that cuts planned to home care scheduled to go into effect on July 1st would result in irreparable harm if allowed to proceed, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) today filed for a preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to prohibit Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, other state officials, Fresno County, and Fresno County IHSS Public Authority from implementing a rate reduction for IHSS providers that is scheduled to become effective on July 1st.

When James Hackett, a Fresno County program supervisor and SEIU 521 executive board member, volunteered to help home care members protect their jobs and pay from cuts, he expected pretty much anything. But on Tuesday, he got a call from his son that surprised him.

SEIU members and activists set out today with renewed efforts as we entered a critical 36-hour phase in the campaign to help protect Fresno home care workers and services. Many members started receiving their ballots today, and SEIU UHW members like Nubia Brennan, a transcriber at Kaiser LAMC were out meeting with Fresno home care workers.

A little after 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1st, the 900 SEIU members and activists who've come from across the state and beyond set out to talk directly to SEIU UHW home care members about the state budget cut threat, and the need to stick together in SEIU UHW in the upcoming election.

They came from across Fresno County, California, the U.S., and Canada with one mission: to protect Fresno County home care. More than 900 SEIU members and activists rocked the house Sunday, May 31st at the Fresno County Fairgrounds, kicking-off a massive get out the vote effort to help Fresno County home care workers protect their jobs, pay, and union.

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 homecare workers that will determine the future of homecare workers in Fresno. Workers are voting on whether they want to stay in SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West or be represented by NUHW, a renegade organization led by the former leaders of UHW who were removed from office for misusing members' dues money. At issue for most workers is which organization has the political strength, resources, and organization on the ground to fight budget cuts that threaten to end home care services for hundreds of thousands of Californians and add more than 200,000 home care providers to California's 2+ million unemployed.

SEIU Files Class-action Lawsuit to Stop Cuts

Fresno, CA - Hundreds of homecare providers, their clients, and community supporters protested Governor Schwarzenegger's massive proposed cuts to homecare services at his Fresno office today.

Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Trustee for SEIU-United Healthcare Workers-West (SEIU UHW), announced the filing of a class-action lawsuit on behalf of homecare clients who face being forced out of their homes and into nursing homes if previously approved wage cuts go forward on July 1.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California by SEIU UHW and other SEIU homecare locals, seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent the State and Fresno County from implementing the planned wage reductions, alleging that they violate federal laws designed to protect seniors and people with disabilities.

"My wife's homecare providers have told me that they will have to look for other work if the wages are cut," stated Carlos Martinez, a Fresno lawsuit plaintiff. "I'm very worried that I'll have to put her into a nursing home because I won't be able to find anyone to take care of her."

The Governor's current proposed budget cuts would slash the hours of care seniors and people with disabilities receive and could cut homecare worker wages 30 percent, to the minimum wage of $8 an hour, a sharper reduction than the deep cuts already passed by the California Legislature and Fresno County being challenged by the lawsuit. The cuts could force tens of thousands of people out of their homes and into nursing homes, which could cost the state as much as four times more than home care services.

The lawsuit names Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Wagner, Director of Social Services, David Maxwell-Jolly, Director of Healthcare Services, John Chiang, State Controller, and Fresno County as defendants.

SEIU UHW represents more than 150,000 healthcare workers across California and our members provide first-rate care to millions of Californians. We are a proud affiliate of the 2 million+ member Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.

SOURCE: SEIU UHW

SEIU UHW is continuing the fight to Protect Fresno Home Care by expanding their campaign to the radio. They've launched two hard-hitting new ads to make sure everyone understands what's really at stake.

1. "Days"
Thousands of real families in California depend on Home Care every day. This ad focuses on the personal side of the story:

Click the "play" button above to listen online.

2. "Solution"
This ad asks an important question. With the economy in trouble and two million Californians out of work, why does Governor Schwarzenegger want to take away from people who are already struggling to get by?

Click the "play" button above to listen online.