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Members of the California School Employees Association (CSEA), one of the many unions represented.
On January 8th, union members from across the Inland Empire came together alongside the California Federation of Labor Unions, ally organizations, and the Inland Empire Labor Council in support of Medi-Cal.
The gathering in Palm Desert was a notice to Congressman Ken Calvert (CD 41), who aligns himself with President elect-Trump’s agenda against Medi-Cal. This essential service is funded by money that California receives from the federal government — which the incoming Trump administration has indicated it wants to cut.
The labor movement came together across Southern California, in Anaheim, Bakersfield, and Palm Desert to say:
Hands off Medi-Caid!
Tammy Peace, an Emergency Room CNA with SEIU-UHW addresses the crowd
Entre los sindicatos asistentes, había un grupo diverso representado. Muchos trabajadores pertenecían al sector de la salud. Entre los sindicatos presentes se encontraban: CWA, SEIU-UHW, AFSCME 3299, CSEA y UDW.
Los oradores se dirigieron a la audiencia desde una variedad de organizaciones y sindicatos por igual, con la lista completa de oradores (en orden) a continuación:
- Chris Noble, Director de Organización, Acceso a la Salud California
- Delnita Brown, an IHSS provider and member of UDW
- Paulina Angel, the Founder & Director of the Transgender Resource, Advocacy and Network Service and Executive Director of the Transgender Resource Community Project in Palm Springs
- Tammy Peace, Emergency Room Nursing Aide/Assistant Desert Regional Medical Center (SEIU-UHW member)
- Juan Jose Mejia Palacios, Policy Associate, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, CD 41 constituent
- Rosalba Montoya, Medical Assistant with AFSCME 3299
- Ricardo Cisneros, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Inland Empire Labor Council, AFL-CIO
This issue is pressing for all, but we got a particular insight into the need for healthcare funding for UDW members. Members of UDW are largely providers of IHSS, In-Home Supportive Services, and they are dedicated caregivers for their loved ones. IHSS receives the same federal funding that Medi-Cal does. If this were to be cut or reduced, they would no longer be paid for taking care of their loved ones. IHSS providers carry out an essential service, providing dedicated care for their loved ones every day, but need this federal funding to be able to continue to do this hard work.
We were lucky enough to speak with a rally speaker and member of UDW, Delnita Brown about her experience below. Thank you to Delnita for your dedication and for informing us about this critical issue!
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1158198308998872
