<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <html><head><style type="text/css"></style><title>Unions Agree to Meet with ADAPT</title></head><body> <div><tt>For Immediate Release:          <span ></span>           <br > May 15, 2002   <br> For information contact:          <span ></span >           <span ></span>      <br> Bob Kafka  512-431-4085<br> Marsha Katz  406-544-9504<br> <br> Unions Agree to Meet then Call ADAPT the best Organizers They've Seen<br> <br> Washington, D.C.---After years of tension between the disability rights<br> community and the nation's unions, ADAPT scored a historic meeting with top<br> union officials to begin working together to support people in the community<br> while also assuring their attendants a living wage. And it all happened in<br> the blink of an eye after ADAPT blocked access to the headquarters of three</tt></div> <div><tt>of the nation's largest unions, including the American Federation of Labor<br> and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).<br> <br> AFL-CIO offices were hit simultaneously with those of the American Federation<br> of State, County and Municipal employees (AFSCME) and the Service Employees<br> International Union (SEIU). In a matter of minutes, top officials at all<br> sites began negotiating with ADAPT, and quickly agreed to providing written<br> commitment for meetings within 60 days. Gerald W. McEntee, President of<br> AFSCME, and who also serves on the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO,<br> committed to personally arrange a meeting before July 14 with ADAPT<br> representatives, himself, John J. Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, and<br> Andrew Stern, International President of the SEIU.<br> <br> "ADAPT shares the unions' goal of a living wage for the workers who assist<br> us," said Bob Kafka, National ADAPT Organizer from Texas. "That only<br> increases the chances we will get better care from more qualified assistants,<br> who will remain in their jobs over time. What we will not accept, though, is<br> holding people with disabilities hostage in nursing homes and institutions to<br> protect jobs for unionized employees. ADAPT's strong message to union<br> officials has been heard, and now we can work on solutions to our mutual<br> problems."<br> <br> In a written letter of commitment from the AFL-CIO, William Samuel, Director<br> of Legislation, wrote that, "The AFL-CIO supports the effort to move care for<br> people with disabilities into the communities where they live and work.<br> Allowing then to retain their independence, while getting care and services<br> in the most appropriate setting." He concluded the letter with, "Please be<br> assured that we will work with the bill sponsors, Senator Harkin and<br> Representative Davis, and the disability community to pass a bill that</tt></div> <div><tt>recognizes the needs and dignity of both people with disabilities and the</tt></div> <div><tt>workers who care for them."</tt></div> <div><tt><br></tt></div> <div><tt>" We really did make history today,"said Linda Anthony, ADAPT Organizer from<br> Pennsylvania. The unions of America are so powerful, and in the past they<br> have been a significant part of the problem, not wanting institutions to<br> close because their members faced job loss. At the AFL-CIO we talked to the<br> Civil Rights Director and his assistant, and they immediately got the civil<br> rights implications of that former position. Given that the unions are the<br> experts on organizing, it felt really good on our way out when they told us<br> that our action and strategies against them were the best organizing they had<br> ever seen!"</tt></div> <div><tt>###</tt><br> <tt></tt></div> <div><br></div> <x-sigsep><pre>-- </pre></x-sigsep> <div>Marta Russell<br> Los Angeles, CA<br> www.disweb.org</div> </body> </html>