Getting ready to make some noise that will be heard as far away as Governor Davis's office in Sacramento.
Clockwise from the left- making placards
and 2 of cheerleaders getting the crowd reved up!
Statement of Lee Hawn
President of the Arc San Francisco Chapter SEIU Local 535
Good morning. My name Lee Hawn. I've worked at the Arc of San Francisco since 1989. I currently work in our seniors program. I oversee and coordinate daily activities such as arts and crafts and other community activities, for our senior clients with developmental disabilities such as downs syndome and autism.
Those of us who work with clients every day see the results of inadequate state funding in a system struggling to stay afloat, especially in times of recession.
Thanks to underfunding from the state, many of our clients have been laid-off recently from their supported worksites. Clients who work as clerks at Kinko's, clerks at law offices and insurance offices, food service workers, and janitors have been laid off and now have no steady income to support themselves.
A shortage of funding has also led to staff layoffs and reduced hours for some employees at The Arc. With fewer staff working fewer hours, clients in our integrated work programs miss days of school, can't go to the gym or miss seeing their favorite movies. Their ability to live their lives as they see fit is compromised due to the state's unwillingness to fund community services.
If there are further cuts, even more clients stand to lose not only their own jobs but the support they need from our staff. Without steady income, many clients could face the possiblity of losing their homes and apartments. Clients that are already affected stand to lose even more.
My fellow co-workers and I are doing our best to provide quality services to our clients, but under these extreme circumstances, it's very difficult. At the Arc, my co-workers and I are members of SEIU. Our wages are better than those of many of our peers at non-union providers, but due to underfunding it is still very difficult to find qualified employees willing to stay on the job at these wages. More budget cuts will make it even harder to find qualified staff.
But most of all, it is the clients I work with who certainly cannot afford any more cuts. I hope the legislature sees fit not to cut their services any further. The Legislature should take a balanced approach to balancing the state budget this year. We need additional revenues to balance any cuts they make. Our clients and our staff simply cannot afford more cuts.
Thank you.
