We, disabled workers, are fighting to save our jobs

By Ameer Habeeb, special for Calmatters

This comment was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

I am one of 60 people cleaning the medical establishment in California in Vakavil. We are veterans, people with disabilities and people who overcome addiction and trauma to build a stable, self -sufficient life for ourselves and our families.

Our jobs we received through Pride Industries gave us a goal, dignity and stable salaries that help us pay rent, buy groceries and take care of our loved ones.

Now all this is a risk. We are facing devastating opportunity to lose everything within days.

A union complaint filed by the International Union of Office Employees has led to the State Council of Staff, deciding that our custody roles must be changed to the public office of public service, which means that jobs will be occupied by civil servants.

But since no one has intensified to fill the jobs, the state seems to be heading for reassignment of its obligations to prisoners in the prison industry program, replacing Pride Industries workers who have been doing these jobs reliably and efficiently for years.

We believe in rehab programs and many of us have our own stories for a second chance.

But it should not come at the expense of a special workforce, composed to a large extent of people with disabilities and veterans with disabilities like me. There is enough work for everyone in the California medical facility.

This month, 80 Pride Industries workers gathered in Capitol. We met key legislators and provided a letter to the President of Seiu Local 1000, asking for one thing-to sit with us and the state to find a solution.

We believe in Say’s mission that every worker deserves dignity, respect and a fair voice. And we said we would join the Union.

We do not want charity. We have won our place and have star records to help the medical facility in California remain clean, safe and licensed for patient care, even during the most difficult sections of the Covid-19 crisis.

Workers who fill jobs like those tell the story best. Ronica Washington is the mother of five, who is an assistant manager for operations at Pride Industries. She needs this job. “This work gives me peace of mind, knowing that I can provide my children without relying on the system.”

Read more: Non -profit purpose has received work for disabilities in California prisons. The Union Dispute may end them

And Chris Fukua, a disabled veteran, who is an assistant manager for operations at Pride Industries, EIS is terrified that this is even happening. “After 10 years … it’s shocking to me and everyone that the state would not pass, as they did in the past.”

I feel deep too. After serving at the Air Force as the C-5 aircraft Chief, I stayed in California and spent years fighting anxiety and bipolar disorder. My diagnoses are still part of my life, but work for Pride Industries has made the navigation in the workplace far easier. I am proud of the work we do at the medical establishment in California.

But our contract ends on June 30 and there is no safety net for most of us. The loss of this work means losing our income, our health insurance and the maintenance workplace, which allows us to succeed and stay healthy.

We ask Seiu Local 1000 to meet with us and governor Gavin Newsom and legislative heads extend our contract and support the Assembly Lori WilsonBill, Bill, AB 912which would Build Trail for Civil Service For people with disabilities in the future.

But in the meantime, do not let us lose everything on June 30 as we wait. This moment is a state’s commitment test to justice. It is not enough to say that the inclusion matters; We need leaders to act as it happens. And quickly.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.