|
Shames is both a worker at Alta
Regional Center and a consumer of the center’s services. She is
also very pro-union.
"I'm extraordinarily pleased that I am able to have these services available to me. California is the only state to offer all this," she says. Shames’ family moved here from the east coast so she could get help. She suffers from a seizure disorder, which she is now able to control through medication. Shames is not one to let her disabilities get in her way. She is very assertive and outgoing, and with the help of her service providers is able to lead an active life. "I love my service coordinators. They talk to me about my goals and how to achieve them. They are like a job coach." She is involved in the Special Olympics in bowling, golf, track and field, and tennis. She is an enthusiastic participant in the center's many field trips, goes dancing, and has an active social life. Shames was a natural to fall in with the union activities,
attending union picnics and rallies to protest the furloughs and state
budget cutbacks. "We made little cups with quarters in them and
walked around shaking them at the demonstration. I enjoy making noise
when something is a problem," Shames states. "When they told
me they wanted people to take unpaid days off, we fought back and won.
Everybody was able to say how they felt about the situation. They were
able to speak up for themselves about what was bothering them." David Lopez, Office
Assistant and File Clerk David Lopez is both a worker for Alta Regional
Center and receives services from the center. Since the new administration
opened up its board meetings to the workers and consumers Lopez actively
attends the board meetings and informs other workers. Lopez has cerebral palsy, but with the help and the independent living skills training he receives at the center, he is able to work and live with his fiance. "I wanted to work, and they helped me," he says. "I had to go through operations on my leg and therapy. Alta helped me get braces so I could progress with walking." The center also funded someone to teach him how to pay his bills. They also keep track of his doctor appointments. "I had a couple of altercations where the union got involved around my performance evaluation and the situation got resolved and smoothed out," Lopez says. Lopez is now actively involved in the union. He was concerned when the furlough days were threatened, but was confident they would win. "The rallies were one of the best things. I knew if we stood together we could get things done," he says. Lopez also goes to Sacramento on union lobby
days and expresses his opinion on public policy. "Our situation
doesn't seem right," he says. "I work here and see consumers
on the street who are struggling. I’m a very fortunate person.
I can move around and catch the bus, but a lot of consumers can't do
that. They are giving all this money to the prisons so they can have
TV and we have to struggle to have equipment to get on the bus. We need
wheel chairs, walkers, braces, and living skills training."  Lynn
Houchin, Accountant "When I started working at Alta six years ago, we were in the process of voting to accept the union. I didn't feel I needed to belong to a union, and when I heard they were organizing, I resented it. I thought unions press people to do things they don't want. But when I learned Alta had a history of no COLAs [cost of living adjustments], and saw there was no consistency or fairness in the way people were treated, I became one of the first people to sign up. Now I’m a very supportive and vocal member. "You need a union to keep management honest. I see the benefits. We got wage increases, better medical, dental, chiropractic, domestic partners coverage, PERS retirement, flexible schedules. I'm a Republican, I understand things like that." Houchin was known for applying her accountant skills to every detail the union was told by management. "What do they really mean by that? I think we need to investigate this further," was her signature statement.
|
|||||||
