New s f r om your union | Spr ing 2022
YOUR MONEY, YOUR CHOICE Tools for Financial Empowerment
The Caregiver Officially Renamed to UDW News! Thank you to the hundreds of UDW members who participated in our renaming contest and congratulations to our winner: Tu Le of Orange County! We are so excited to begin this new chapter with a more inclusive name that better represents all UDW members.
TOOLS FOR FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT Learn about important resources for you and your family
Across the country, we are seeing higher costs for food, gas, electricity, housing, and all other essentials. For those of us making close to minimum wage, rising costs are digging even deeper holes into our pockets—but your union is here for you! Check out the programs and resources below to see how you can get help during these challenging times.
UDW’S CREDIT UNION
CAL ABLE
FOOD BANKS
Rebuild your credit, enjoy low rates, get free financial counseling, and more. Learn more below!
Save for disability-related expenses by contributing up to $16,000 a year to a CalABLE account without jeopardizing benefits like SSI and Medicaid. CalABLE accounts may be opened by or on behalf of an eligible individual. CalAble Eligibility: • Entitled to SSI or SSDI due to a disability or blindness; or • Has a disability certification (a signed diagnosis by a licensed physician)
Find a food distribution site near you: 1) Reach out to your local UDW office or our Member Resource Center at 800-621-5016. 2) Visit www.cafoodbanks.org/ourmembers to find local food banks. 3) For immediate assistance, call 2-1-1 to speak with someone about services in your area.
CALSAVERS Financially prepare for retirement by accessing a professionally managed retirement savings program for Californians who have no employerbased retirement plan. Family child care providers who are self-employed and most IHSS providers can opt-in to the program.
saver.calsavers.com • 1-855-650-6918
In all cases, the blindness or disability must have occurred before age 26.
www.calable.ca.gov • 833-225-2253 • calABLESupport@CalABLE.ca.gov
AFSCME FREE COLLEGE
IHSS CAREER PATHWAYS PROGR AM
Earn a certificate, associate’s, or bachelor’s degree online at no cost to you through the AFSCME Free College Benefit. Visit freecollege.afscme.org to learn more.
You can expand your skills and earn extra cash, thanks to a new initiative that will give IHSS providers training to enhance skills and career opportunities. Participants will get paid for the time in training and may qualify for additional, one-time incentive payments for completing training in particular areas.
Enjoy other cost-saving benefits like a prescription and health care discount card, low-cost dental, medical bill negotiating service, and more at udwa. org/member-benefits.
*Coming in Fall 2022. More information available soon.
CALFRESH California’s food stamp program provides up to $250/month per household member. Eligibility is based on income. Those with SSI/SSP may also be eligible. Household Size
Monthly Income
1
$2,148
2
$2,904
3
$3,660
4
$4,418
5
$5,174
6
$5,930
7
$6,688
8
$7,444
(Add $758 for each member after 8. Guidelines effective until September 30, 2022.)
getcalfresh.org • 1-877-847-3663
Join UDW’s new credit union and build your financial power! Dear fellow UDW members,
first. PFCU members can expect day-to-
the official launch of UDW’s
ATMs, free checking and savings accounts,
I am so excited to announce
very own credit union on May 16!
We are partnering with Providence Federal
Credit Union (PFCU) to create products and services designed specifically to meet
our needs as caregivers and family child
care providers. Unlike for-profit banks, our credit union is designed to put us
day benefits like 90,000 surcharge-free
second-chance checking accounts for
UDW members work hard. We deserve
a members-first financial institution that will work for us.
To become a member or learn more
those of us who have struggled with
visit www.providencecu.org/PFCU-UDW
specifically designed with UDW members
In solidarity,
our credit in the past, low-interest loans
in mind, and free financial wellness classes and counseling to help you achieve a secure financial future.
or call 1-888-849-5189.
Editha Adams UDW Statewide President
MEMBERS SPRING INTO ACTION!
UDW members gathered in
Montgomery, Alabama to walk an
11-mile leg of a 50-mile march in honor
of the 57th anniversary of the Selma-to-
Montgomery march, originally led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and thousands of non-violent demonstrators fighting for
voting rights. Read about our journey at: https://bit.ly/UDWSelma.
We did it! Congratulations to UDW members in Santa Barbara and
Imperial Counties, who after countless negotiations, rallying at the Board
in support of term limits for county
elected officials, giving new leaders
Live roundtables to lead candid
of Supervisors has shown us they don’t
labor. In February, members talked about
providers a seat at the table. “This Board prioritize good jobs and our economy is suffering because of it,” said UDW
member and term limits proponent,
Sandy Moreno. “We deserve leadership that reflects all of us and invests in our local economies.”
Our country’s early childhood
education system is broken, and
family child care providers are taking
new contracts with wage and benefit
Algorri (middle right) spoke to over
increases! We’re bargaining in several
counties this year and need all the help
we can get—reach out to your local office to find out how you can get involved.
Kern County UDW members joined forces with our allies to gather and deliver nearly 30,000 signatures
spotlight during UDW’s Facebook
who support, value, and respect IHSS
of Supervisors, and speaking out
and sharing their stories, finally won
Members have stepped into the
the lead to fix it. UDW member Miren 50 members of the Committee for
Education Funding (CEF) in March. “I am asking that the federal government take action and bring forth a comprehensive early childhood education plan that
funds child care for all families who need it,” she said.
conversations about race, gender, and
their lives as Black caregivers and family
child care providers and how the fight for care worker rights are inextricably linked with the struggle for Black liberation.
In Orange County, family child care provider Virginia Hernandez and
IHSS provider Angie Nguyen were
recognized during Women’s History Month by local elected leaders and community members for their work
caring for others. Angie was named a Woman Making a Difference by
Supervisor Katrina Foley while Virginia was recognized as a Woman of
Distinction by Senator Tom Umberg. Congratulations!
NONPROFIT US POSTAGE PAID HUNT. BCH CA PERMIT #438
4855 Seminole Drive San Diego, CA 92115 800-621-5016
udwa.org twitter.com/udwa facebook.com/UDW
UDW offices are open again!
Good news – UDW offices are reopening across the state, and we are so excited to see you again! Please continue to wear masks until further notice. Need PPE? Call ahead to see what’s available (find your local office number at www.udwa.org/contact).
SUPPLEMENTAL PAY RATIFICATION FOR CCPU Supplemental pay for family child care providers is finally here! After months of work, thousands of phone calls to the state demanding they expedite the payment process, and a union vote ratifying the disbursement proposal, family child care providers are finally set to receive supplemental pay! These funds are part of the $144.5 million CCPU-UDW won in negotiations last year. This year, eligible family child care providers with large licenses will receive $10,000; small licenses will receive $8,000; and family, friend and neighbor providers, also known as license-exempt, will receive $1,500. Next year, payments will be disbursed monthly in amounts that will be determined in July 2022.
“I’m so excited for supplemental pay because the $10,000 will allow me to make improvements to my backyard, build my outdoor classroom, and help me continue providing the best care for the children I serve.” Joanna Herrera, Riverside Family Child Care Provider
To be eligible for these funds this fiscal year, licensed child care providers must have had at least one subsidized child in their care for three months between May and October 2021. License-exempt providers must have had at least one subsidized child in their care between August and October 2021. The state began disbursing the funds in April 2022 and should complete payouts within the next few months. If you believe you qualify to receive supplemental funds but have not received any notification, please contact CCPUUDW at 888-226-7510 to find out next steps.