ULTCW MEMBERS RALLY IN FRONT OF NINTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS

PASADENA, CA (1/18/2010) – Today, over 200 SEIU ULTCW members battled cooler temperatures and threats of heavy rain to rally in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena to show their support for plaintiffs in the Martinez/Yang versus Schwarzenegger lawsuit.

The lawsuit, which was filed in May 2009 by IHSS care recipients and in-home caregivers, challenged the Governor’s attempts to slash the state’s contribution toward in-home caregiver wages to minimum wage as part of his 2009/2010 state budget. A Federal Court in Oakland granted a temporary injunction to the cuts in July 2009 of which the state filed an appeal.

Determined to overturn the temporary injunction, Governor Schwarzenegger has included the same cuts in his proposed 2010/2011 state budget as well as eliminating in-home care services for 400,000 low-income seniors and people with disabilities (87%) regardless of any financial assistance the state may receive from the federal government. The Governor’s 2010/2011 budget also states that if the federal government does not provide the requested $6.9 billion, the entire IHSS program (those 13% still receiving homecare after the initial cut) would be dismantled.

Although the appeal to the Martinez/Yang versus Schwarzenegger case is being heard today, it is unclear when a ruling by the three-judge panel will be made.