Leadership

President

Name: Gail Ennis
County: Butte
Provider Since: 1999

Hi, my name is Gail Ennis, and I bet I am a lot like you! I was born in Oakland, California to a middle class family. I graduated High School in near-by Hayward, and attended San Jose City College. I met my husband in 1990, who is a Vietnam veteran living with disabilities. We have a blended family of 5 children and one dog.

In a former life, I started a retail business in 1992 where I supervised employees and faced all the challenges of running a small business. As I was launching my business endeavor, my Mother began to face some health challenges. In 1999 she could no longer live by herself so she moved into my home. This was my introduction to the IHSS program.

My philosophy in life is that HOPE is the most important word in our dictionary. This HOPE fuels my passion to make our tomorrows as homecare providers better than our yesterdays. My vision for CUHW as President:

 

  • County offices with strong local governance
  • IHSS provider mental health support groups for all regions
  • Additional educational opportunities sponsored by the Union
  • Emergency funds, as well as referrals and support to assist providers in crisis
  • Discount programs for card-caring members
  • Financial help with background checks
  • Free or reduced immunization program
  • More efficient means of resolving dues issues
  • Open and constant communication from the Union to its membership.

I have been an active member in almost every way possible since 2006, including:

  • Door-to-door canvassing & phone banking
  • Lobbied at County Board of Supervisor meetings and to legislators in Sacramento.
  • Bargaining team member
  • Labor management captain
  • Captain of three monthly Divisional Meetings
  • Hosted coffee parties in my home to organize local homecare providers
  • Long Term Care Action Team Captain
  • Public Authority Orientation Meeting Representative, where I educated new homecare providers about CUHW
  • CUHW Executive Board Member since 2007
  • A delegate to the SEIU-Healthcare founding convention in Baltimore
  • Full time field organizers for six counties since Feb.11, 2008
  • Attended LA Labor college for Negotiation and Bargaining classes

Additional Qualifications:

  • I belong to Quota International, a Service Organization for disadvantaged women and children, as well as speech and hearing impaired
  • Butte College facilitator for a Kinship Support Program for 5 years and crisis line management
  • Small Business Administration classes
  • Board Member for the Independent Living Services of Northern California

    I believe that a Union should really serve its membership not just talk about it. I am in a unique position to make sure this happens not only because of my experience within all levels of our Union, but most importantly, as a homecare provider.

    In Unity,
    Gail Lynne Ennis

    Vice President

    Name: Linda Zavala
    County: Imperial
    Provider Since: 1995

    My name is Linda Zavala, and I am from Imperial County. I was born in Calexico, CA and am the oldest of three children. I am married and have been blessed with four wonderful children.

    In 1995, my oldest daughter was born with Down syndrome which required me to leave my Managerial position at Office Depot.

    I felt I had no other options.

    I was informed later by one of my social workers that our family was eligible for the In Home Support Service Program. From there our lives changed!

    Then in 2006, with the help of many others in the Imperial County, we mobilized our members and went precinct walking door to door to providers in order to sign membership cards for our first local union drive in order to be recognized.

    That same year, we heavily lobbied the Imperial County Board of Supervisors and demanded that the board recognize our CUHW membership. I remember the many times I went up and spoke at the meetings, knowing that we had a rough road ahead.

    A year later, May 2007 we had our first victory and were recognized by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors as CUHW!

    Though we were recognized, the Board of Supervisors refused to agree to a fair contract. In July 2007 with the help of our members, we launched a recall on 4 of the 5 County Supervisors.  Within months of our recall effort, the Board found a way to accept our proposed contract. On October 23, 2007, we had our second victory and our contract was signed. After the signing of our contract I became an organizer for CUHW.

    Since then, our membership efforts in the Imperial County have now increased over 60% thanks to the hard work of our dedicated activists and the resources given to us by our strength in numbers in CUHW.

    In solidarity,
    Linda Zavala
    Vice President

    Treasurer

    Name: Justin D. Meyers
    County: Butte
    Provided Since: 2002

    Since my first day as a homecare provider, I have been working to improve the lives of all homecare providers. I have knocked on doors in Butte County to get fellow members active in CUHW. I have traveled across the state to speak with elected officials, letting them know how disastrous the budget will be to IHSS consumers and providers.

    As your Treasurer, I will support open lines of communication between CUHW leadership, staff, and our members. I will inform you of how CUHW spends your dues with quarterly reports. I will also work to find new and innovative ways engage members in planning for CUHW’s future.

    I have the drive and commitment to serve you in our goal of creating positive change for homecare providers and those we care for. I have the focus and passion to fight for change in Sacramento, so hard working members like you do not have to live in fear of dramatic cuts in the IHSS program.

    I thank you for all the hard work you do each and every day. I look forward to working with you as your Treasurer, to make CUHW a stronger voice for every one of our members.

    In solidarity,
    Justin D. Meyers
    Executive Treasurer

    Secretary

    Name: Andre Booker
    County: Kings
    Provided Since: 2002

    I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the work of our great union in a statewide executive officer position. I have been a dedicated member of CUHW since 2006, and have been an active participant in local organizing drives, protests at the county Board of Supervisors, trips to lobby in Sacramento, and other union activities that further our cause.

    Since I was elected as Secretary for CUHW in our first election, I have worked hard to make sure that everyone has been represented with integrity.  When fulfilling my duties as Secretary, it is always with a commitment to fairness between each member and our local, and that the proceedings of our Executive Board are conducted in full view of every member through our minutes and the publication of those minutes for anyone to view. The democratic proceedings of CUHW are a corner stone of our union and should be utilized by every member.

    I bring knowledge gained through various leadership roles outside of CUHW to do my job. I have served as a member of the board for the Center for Race, Poverty, and the Environment as well as the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the Environmental Justice and District Manager/Secretary of the Home Garden Community Services District.

    I look forward to bringing you continuous communication between any concerned member and the Executive Board of CUHW whether by email, phone calls, letters, or otherwise.

    In Unity,
    Andre Booker
    Executive Secretary