Media Advisory – Jan. 28, 2013
Contact: Khanh Weinberg
(408) 921-0098
SAN JOSE, Calif. – As community leaders gather Tuesday to hear the State of the County from Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Ken Yeager, home care workers will deliver their own “State of Home Care Workers” remarks.
Home care workers provide a vital service to Santa Clara County, helping more than 17,000 elderly and people with disability live in their own homes instead of nursing homes.
Yet home care workers themselves struggle with achieving their own independence. They earn 17 percent less than the self-sufficiency wage for a person living in San Jose.
Despite these figures, the county is falling short of bargaining with home care workers in good faith.
“The state of home care workers is that we’re dealing with late paychecks and cancelled bargaining sessions from the county,” said Yong Soung, a home care worker. “We are struggling. We want the county to help us achieve our independence, not treat us like second-class citizens.”
DETAILS:
WHAT: Home care workers and consumers to hold action and address the board on the county’s ongoing display of bad faith bargaining
WHEN: State of the County address, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 9 a.m.
WHERE: Board of Supervisors’ Chambers, 70 W. Hedding St., San Jose
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The Service Employees International Union is an organization of 2.1 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. SEIU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. For more information, visit www.seiu521.org
