Tag Archives: afscme

Child Care Professional: California Budget Cuts Endanger Kids, Communities and Workers

By Elsa Serrano

With California’s unemployment rate at 11 percent, elected leaders should do everything they can to keep parents working and able to support their families. Instead, Gov. Jerry Brown proposed cuts that would devastate child care, leaving tens of thousands of children without a place to go, and forcing parents out of their jobs.

Communities across the state are speaking out against the cuts and arguing for a smart, fair state budget that protects child care. In San Diego, Oxnard, and Santa Maria, Calif., children, parents and child care providers rallied in recent days.

I’m one of them. I stand up and speak out because I’m a child care provider in Oxnard, Calif., and a leader of Child Care Providers United/AFSCME.

I stood with fellow concerned citizens and activists Saturday at the Parque del Sol in Oxnard to protest the outrageous cuts that would hurt the most vulnerable in our community. We came together to send a message to Governor Brown and state lawmakers: Stop the cuts to child care. Child care providers keep California learning and earning.

Since 2008, California has dropped more than 100,000 children from child care services. This year the governor proposed the worst cuts yet: a drop of 30,000 more spaces. That’s in addition to reimbursement rate cuts that will force a large percentage of providers out of business, permanently affecting parent’s ability to access affordable child care.

At the rallies across the state this past week, we chanted and waved signs. We educated the public. We wrote messages on artwork, which we’ll deliver to leaders in Sacramento.

At South San Diego’s rally, Pati Miranda, a San Isidro child care provider spoke for all when saying, “Governor Brown and Sacramento politicians shouldn’t shortchange children’s safety, learning and well-being by destroying child care.”  

Beatriz Pulido, a mother of three in San Diego, spoke about how important quality child care is to her family.  

“Without help from child care providers, I will be forced to quit my job and not be able to continue my education,” Pulido said. “As a single mother, I want to succeed in life and not depend on welfare.”

Tell California state legislators that our kids, our communities and our economy can’t take any more cuts to child care. California families need your support to ensure our children receive quality child care and parents are able to keep working.  Sign our petition today: http://kidsfirstca.onlineactio…  

Elsa Serrano is a child care provider in Oxnard, Calif. and a leader of Child Care Providers United/AFSCME.

EMS Workers Circulate Petition to Protect & Improve EMS

Walnut Creek, CA… The EMTs, Paramedics, and other life-saving Emergency Medical Service (EMS) workers of Northern California held a community BBQ last week with area residents to raise awareness about the vital services they provide and the struggles they face. Workers circulated petition cards calling on the private EMS company – American Medical Response (AMR) – to let them have a stronger voice in the decisions affecting the quality services they provide every day.

When injured or seriously ill, Americans rely on emergency medical services. These women and men come day or night, to provide professional care that saves lives. That tireless service – and the need to give them adequate tools to provide it – was the focus of National Emergency Medical Services Week. We honor the dedication, skill and sacrifice of EMS workers, who make the day-to-day heroism of lifesaving medical services happen.

Well-trained, equipped, and experienced EMS workers make the difference when lives are at risk. That’s why they need a voice on the job, to work for safety standards, quality training and fair working conditions. Paramedics and EMTs know that having enough ambulances on the streets and updated equipment is essential to saving lives.

Natalie Donaldson, a four year EMT, decided to work in emergency medical services after her father’s life was saved by EMS workers at AMR.

“I’m proud to work for AMR. If it weren’t for the EMS workers at AMR, my father would not have survived the motorcycle accident,” said Natalie. “EMS workers need to have a strong voice at the table so AMR can continue to provide the best service possible.”

With an aging population and the need for emergency services expected to grow substantially over the next decade, EMS workers across the country are uniting like never before to make sure they have input in the decisions affecting patient care. Standing together as a strong union, they will fight to make sure enough ambulances are on the street and workers are getting the best training and equipment possible.

Employees of AMR across Northern California have met the necessary requirements to hold a union election, however, that election is currently being held up by AMR.

“As EMS workers, we are advocates for residents in times of emergency,” said Brandon Bigos -a seven year EMT at AMR in Contra Costa County. “The community gets that, and that’s why they are signing our petition to make sure we have a real seat at the table with AMR.”

EMS workers have already collected hundreds of petition cards.  They are reaching out to the community in the coming weeks and delivering the petitions to AMR.  To see a short video about the incredible work of EMS workers, or for more information, please see http://uemsw.org

Keep the Momentum Going!

Just a few minutes ago, the California Nurses Association (CNA) endorsed my campaign for Mayor of San Francisco!

The endorsement from CNA, which has over 5,000 members in San Francisco, follows major endorsements in the last few weeks from the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)and Communication Workers of America Local 9410.

I am deeply honored to have their support.

Will you help us build on the momentum by joining our 20/20 advisory group today and donation $20 or volunteering 20 hours of your time to the campaign?  Donate.  Volunteer.

I will continue to work to ensure San Franciscan has affordable health care.  Our city has led the nation with important health reforms.  As insurance companies across California continue to raise rates and limit care – it’s essential that we do more, especially for our children and families.

To make these policy goals a reality, we need your support.

I’m inviting you to join our 20/20 advisory group.  Here’s how it works:

We are asking supporters to volunteer 20 hours of their time or donate $20 to help build a clear vision for San Francisco’s future.  Donate. Volunteer.

You’ll be invited to a small coffee conversation with me to discuss issues we all face as San Franciscans.  How do we improve our schools?  Make it easier for people to raise a family in the city.  What are the best ways to grow our economy?  How do we improve Muni?

Will you help us build on the momentum of the last few weeks and join our 20/20 advisory group?  Donate. Volunteer.

Thanks for your time and support.  I hope to see you on the campaign train for a cup of coffee!

Sincerely,

Leland Yee

On “La Dolce Vita”, Or, The Real Life Of A State Worker

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