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What’s in this issue: 

• What is General Council?  
• ADA Pride Month  
• State Resources for In-Home Care Providers 
• Around our union:
  –Rally for Nursing Homes – Join Your Fellow Members!  

General Council 2024: Building Power, Creating Change

We are excited about next week’s General Council coming up in Portland!

General Council is the supreme governing body for SEIU Local 503, meeting every two years to discuss and adopt a budget, and through the submission of resolutions, review and adopt policies and goals that affect the union.

Delegates elected to serve will review member-submitted resolutions intended to guide our union into the future, debate them and vote whether to accept or reject them. GC is also an opportunity for member leaders to learn more about growing our union and harnessing our member power to create meaningful change for working families in Oregon.

Find out more about this member-run event here.

July is Disability Pride Month

Happy birthday to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)! It’s been 34 years since the ADA has been in effect, signed into law on July 26, 1990. In 2021 the U.S. Census Bureau found that 13% of the population had a disability, without the ADA these 42.5 million people would not have crucial protections to help them engage in a public life.

The ADA is an important civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life: at work, school, transportation, and all public and private areas open to the public. The ADA provides that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as people without them.

Did you know not all disabilities are visible? Both federal and Oregon state law define a person with a disability as an individual with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. You can find more details about what that means here.

State Resources for In-Home Care Providers

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) offers an online page chock full of resources for in-home care providers. From this page you can access late/partial pay report forms, information about parking reimbursement, ADA accommodations, complaints, paystubs and tax form as well as guidance on the topics below:

• Training and Education
• Certifications
• Career Opportunities
• Health and Safety
• News and Updates
• OregonSaves Retirement Plan
• OHCC Registry Website

You can reach ODHS by phone at 877-624-6080 or by email at ohcc.customerrelations@odhsoha.oregon.gov.

Around Our Union!

Care Can’t Wait: Nursing Home Workers Rally for a Fair Contract

Members who work in nursing homes across Oregon will rally next weekend at Shemanski Park in downtown Portland, to show management they are willing to do whatever is necessary to win real improvements for nursing home workers and the residents they care for.

Workers are dealing with conditions on the job that jeopardize resident care, including high turnover and inadequate staffing levels. Hundreds of members are expected to turn out at the event, with SEIU International President April Verrett, Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor, SEIU 503 President Mike Powers and SEIU 503 Executive Director Melissa Unger all attending to support nursing home workers in their fight for justice. Purple up and come join the rally:

When: Saturday, August 3, 2024 at 9:00am
Where: Shemanski Park, 1010 SW Park Ave, Portland