Care providers turning up heat in summertime community visits

In Lincoln City this past weekend, we had special guest appearances from a candidate for the Oregon Senate, Arnie Roblan, and a candidate for the Oregon House of Representatives, David Gomberg, both of whom have been endorsed by SEIU.Over and over again, we heard how much people appreciate us for our support, for listening to their stories, for caring enough to give up our weekends to reach out to them, for giving them hope that they are not alone, for bargaining hard for a good contract, and much, much more.Some memorable visits included:• A brand-new personal support worker member who said, “I know a place that needs to be unionized…” and went on to describe horrible abuses at a workplace where he was previously employed.

• A sorrowful man whose wife died recently and who has no respite from caring for his disabled son.

• A Republican homecare worker who aligns his voting with the NRA, but who thanked us profusely for reaching a homecare/personal support worker contract settlement that will allow him to keep his health insurance. He had a heart attack last year, followed by open-heart surgery. Working 81 hours a month, he would have lost his health insurance under the state’s earlier proposals.

• The numerous people who started out by saying that they weren’t interested in politics but ended up signing up for CAPE and/or registered to vote once we connected the dots about how politics personally impacts them.

Five more community visits are still on the horizon!  Want to join the fun and make a difference?  Click here to join us on the road!

Congratulations and thank you to the SEIU care providers who have participated in the blitzes so far:

Adam Riggs, Alice Redding, Anita Pecoff, Anna Young, Bev Scott, Carol Conlon, Cynde Canepa, David Roadsman, Debora Owen- Boone, Don Moffitt, Enrique Luna, JT Tanguay, Karen Woffler, Kassandra Nicoles, Katey Cumberworth, Kim Cole, Linda Robles, Lee Meyers, LJ Denny, Lorna Burnell, Mark Prever, Mary Wood, Opal Kraus, Pam Walsh, Patrick Featherstone, Phylis Wills, Portica Moye, Rebcca Sandoval, Renee Cripe, Richard Snearly, Rick Glimpse, Sharon Larson, Sharon Snearly, Sally Cumberworth, Steve Wright, Tammy Scroggins, Tina Perkins, Cricket Dorell, and Wanda Winne.