Only 56% of adult Americans with disabilities are employed, according to the U.S. Census. SEIU 721 members are working to change that.
"People have a stigma. The majority of people with disabilities want an opportunity, we don't want pity," said Julio Fernandez, Printer I at the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder's office. "We don't want to be confined to a wheelchair, to a corner, to a rehabilitation hospital. No, we want to be productive, we want to be part of society. Employers have to be aware of that."
Fernandez contracted polio at age 1, just a few years before a vaccine was approved in the mid-1950s. He won a promotion after 32 years at the Reg-Recorder's office — despite a degree in graphic arts.
Even when people with disabilities find jobs, they often face severe limits from employers:
 segregated on the job
paid less than minimum wage
denied promotion
given limited insurance
"There's a cultural perception that people with disabilites are not productive as workers," said David Mulvey, a Service Coordinator at the Tri-Counties Regional Center who works with people with disabilities. "The issue is structuring the jobs so they can use their best skills to deliver their productivity."
California public-service workers led the drive for a resolution at the SEIU's 2008 Convention to promote quality jobs and fight workplace discrimination.
"It was a dream come true" to see the resolution pass, said Fernandez, who is chairman of the SEIU 721 Americans with Disabilities Committee. "Now we have more strength." To make that a reality, he says he will work to make sure the resolution language becomes part of all 721 MOUs. |
| SEIU Members Lead Drive for Workers With Disabilities
California public-service workers promoted a successful resolution at SEIU's 2008 Convention to promote the rights of workers with disabilities and increase their access to quality union jobs and protect the jobs of individuals who become disabled. The resolution commits SEIU to:
 Lead policy changes to remove artificial barriers to employment
Partner with other groups to support employment of persons with disabilities in good union jobs with access to benefits
Support health care policies and work with employers so no individuals lose insurance when they lose a job, change jobs, or lose existing insurance when they get a job
Train staff, stewards, and members on federal disability law and benefits
Promote the contributions of disabled workers who are SEIU members
Work to create more flexible job descriptions, work rules, and contract language that facilitate the employment of persons with disabilities
Establish worker with disabilities caucuses or committees throughout SEIU and Change to Win |