Disability Action Day At State Capitol

Sacremento--The chorus of voices rising in opposition to the Governor's budget cuts got louder on Thursday as hundreds of activists--including many long-term care workeres--turned out on the north steps of the state capitol to support Disability Action Day.

Coming just 24 hours after the May revision to the proposed budget was released, the rally was a strong outcry against possible cuts to IHSS.  The gathering highlighted how people with disabilities would be affected if the millions in proposed cuts went into efect. A large portion of homecare consumers have some sort of disability and rely on IHSS for their care.

 'You can't balance the budget on cuts alone!'  was the oft-heard theme of the day.

Several unions and community organizations turned out, including SEIU-ULTCW, SEIU-521, the Disability Rights Legal Center, the California Coalition for Mental Health, the Community Resource for Independent Living and the Center for Independent Living.  State senators and assemblymen showed up and spoke in support of the disabled and against the proposed budget cuts.

Look for more action soon as ULTCW will continue to defend workers against these cuts.